Feel Again
by GladiatorInHeels
Summary: It's supposed to hurt, but it doesn't. He wants it to hurt, just to feel again. AU.
1. Prologue

_I always said I would one day write a sequel to "The Secret", but I simply could not and cannot find the inspiration to continue that story. Instead, this came to me a few days ago, and I can't seem to stop writing it. Please let me know what you think!_

**_Disclaimer: I do not own Scandal. _**

**_~ Prologue ~_**

Olivia watched as yet another hospital bed was wheeled past the large desk, through the wide hospital hallway, and into a room. Technically, her shift had not even begun yet, so she sat back and let her fellow nurses take care of their newest patient. Surrounded by the constant beeping sounds so typical for the intensive care unit, Olivia read over patient files and quickly familiarized herself with any new developments that might have occurred in the hours that she had not been here. There were two new patients now, and a quick check told her that one was an older gentleman that had suffered a major heart attack just hours before, while the other was a middle aged car crash victim who had just come out of hours of emergency surgery.

Beep. Beep. Beep.

She looked around, trying to locate where this particular sound was coming from. It was impossible, though, in an ICU full of machines. Olivia took a deep breath, mentally preparing herself for another long shift. Olivia preferred the nightshifts, even though they were often long and grueling. They kept her busy, though, during endless nights that she'd otherwise have to spend home, by herself.

Placing the files back on the desk, Olivia turned her chair, stood, and made her way to the small kitchenette to prepare a cup of tea to get her through the long night ahead. The chilly February wind still clung to her skin even though she had been insight for nearly thirty minutes now, and the steaming beverage was a welcome relief. Washington D.C. had been especially cold over the last few weeks, and icy roads and snow-filled storms had assured that there was never a shortage of car crash victims in the ICU of George Washington University Hospital. She returned to the desk shortly after, warming her small hands on the plastic cup filled with tea. Fellow nurses came and went, each passing on patient information to Olivia and the other nightshift colleagues that continued to arrive.

When her shift had officially begun, Olivia went to check on one of the patients that had been with them for several days now. The young girl – not quite a child anymore but not a teenager yet either – looked slightly better now that her facial bruises were beginning to lose their angry color, but she still seemed exceptionally frail. It was not much different than any other patient, really. They all came into the ICU looking rough, but this thin twelve year old with a mess of blonde curls and pale skin always appeared especially weak. Maybe it was the large tube that helped her breathe, or the bandages all over her body. But Olivia knew that was not the reason she felt the need to take such good care of the young accident victim. Instead, it was the fact that when they'd wake her from the artificial coma, someone was going to have to explain to her that while she would most likely be okay, her mother would not. The second victim of the Monday afternoon crash that involved a van and a garbage truck – 39 year old Elizabeth Whaley – had been pronounced dead at the scene. And her only daughter had no idea.

With a sigh, Olivia left the room, hoping she would not have to be around when they finally informed this little girl of the tragedy. She checked on several more patients before she finally reached the room of the most recently admitted car crash victim. She loathed winters like this, when badly injured men and women found their way into her hospital almost constantly. The patient's blood pressure and heart rate were good, so Olivia moved on to make sure all of his IVs were working properly. Only when all the routine checks were finished did she take a closer look at the patient himself. It was always difficult to tell someone's exact age when they were covered in tubes, needles, and bandages, so she consulted the patient file for more information. He was a 48 year old white male, injured in a single vehicle accident on what she assumed must have been his way home from work. Olivia looked up at his face again, before she continued reading the file.

His arm was broken, but the fracture was simple and would not cause any problems. His ribs were bruised, which was painful more than anything else, but that too would pass in time. The right side of his face was bruised only slightly from the impact of his car's airbag, but Olivia had seen damage much worse, and she suspected that those bruises would be gone within a few days. She shook her head sadly when she read the final part of his list of injuries. Lifting her head to look at the man in front of her once more, Olivia observed him silently.

He was tall and lean, the parts of his body that were uncovered clearly muscular. His shoulders were broad and his arms led her to believe that he worked out frequently. His exposed chest was well-defined, and Olivia assumed that the rest of his body would be as well. He looked like the kind of man that cared about his health and his body, and no matter how frail he looked at the moment, Olivia could easily imagine him in the gym, or running, or maybe even swimming like she often did herself.

But now his spine had been fractured, and the impact of his car sliding off the road and into the pillar of a bridge had caused tiny fragments of the bone to puncture his spinal cord. A team of doctors had performed emergency surgery immediately upon his arrival in the emergency room, but Olivia had enough experience to know that it was impossible to tell how severe the consequences would be until he opened his eyes. Maybe he'd wake up and with some patience and rehab he would walk again in no time. Maybe he'd be wheelchair bound for the rest of his life. The thought made her shudder, because she simply could not imagine such a cruel fate for this man she did not even know.

"Olivia?"

She turned and smiled at the young nurse standing in the doorway.

"Yeah?"

"Doctor Collins called and told us to make sure we up Mrs. Hillard's dosage. Whenever you have a minute, of course."

"You don't want to do it?", Olivia asked.

"Could I?"

Quinn had only just graduated, and although she was now a nurse, she did not quite have the confidence in herself and her abilities to make the decisions an experienced nurse like Olivia would make.

"Of course you can. You're a nurse, remember."

The younger woman smiled sheepishly and turned on her heels to go find the patient in question. She liked Olivia. She had become somewhat of a mentor to her, and she was slowly but surely learning to trust her abilities and the education she had received in the last few years.

Olivia shook her head with a grin as she watched her young colleague walk down the hallway in quick strides. Quinn was certainly still learning, but Olivia considered her a good nurse already, because she possessed just the right amount of compassion – something that would always be important in their line of work. The quickening sound of the familiar but always alarming beeping brought her out of her thoughts and she quickly turned to her patient.

His heart rate was just shy of alarming, but she did not panic, simply walked over to his bed and took his hand carefully into her own. His eyelids fluttered slowly at first, then more quickly, before he seemed to calm. Almost immediately his heart rate slowed and soon the numbers were at a healthy level once again.

Olivia watched him a little longer, making sure he was not waking up just yet. He needed rest desperately right now. She upped his pain meds slightly, hoping to make him more comfortable throughout the night. Finally, she walked out of his room.

When she had already stepped out into the hallway, she turned and looked back at the bruised and broken body of her newest patient.

She had a feeling Fitzgerald Grant would be here with them for a while.


	2. Chapter 1

_You guys know how to make a girl feel appreciated! Thanks for the warm welcome back, and thank you for the great reviews. I hope you enjoy this._

~ Chapter 1 ~

The lights were too bright and the strange beeping sounds all around him seemed unnaturally loud. Fitz was disoriented and confused. He couldn't move, his arm felt heavy, and there was an unwelcome pressure in his throat. Before he could even begin to figure what was happening to him and around him, two women appeared above him. His vision was slightly blurry, but he could tell that both were older than he was. Fitz saw her lips move before the sound actually registered, and he had to try hard to focus on her words. His chest was throbbing, and he could feel the dull pain of a beginning headache.

"Mr. Grant, I need you to stay calm, okay? You are in the ICU and you had surgery after a car accident yesterday. I'd like for you to blink once if you remember any of that."

He had to think for a moment, trying to make sense of the nurse's words. Work. Wu's Kitchen for take-out Chinese food. Then a shadow of something crossing in front of him. A dog. Maybe a cat. Then the moment of panic. And then, nothing.

Fitz blinked once.

"Okay, great. My name is Heather and this is Susan. We are going to make sure you are comfortable, okay?"

He tried to lift his hand to point to the contraption that was bothering his throat, but he could not seem to bring his arms up high enough.

"You are intubated, but now that you are awake the doctor will be in soon to decide when we can get rid of this thing for you.", she smiled. "Until then, we are going to give you something for the pain."

Fitz had drifted in and out of sleep while he waited for the doctor to arrive. The removal of the tube was painful, but when it was done, he was glad to be able to communicate again.

"What happened?", he finally asked, his voice raw and strange even to his own ears. "What day is it?"

"It's Friday evening. You were admitted to the hospital about 24 hours ago, sir. You were in a single vehicle car crash and we had to perform surgery once they stabilized you in the ER."

"My arm?", Fitz asked, noticing that the weight he'd felt earlier was that of a cast that covered his right arm from the knuckles of his fingers to his elbow.

"Clean fracture of the radius. We did not have to operate on your arm and it should heal nicely within six week.", Fitz' surgeon explained. "However, you fractured your spine."

The words hit him like a ton of bricks, and his already tight chest suddenly felt like it was not getting any air at all. Fitz could hardly breathe.

Fractured spine.

He couldn't wrap his mind around it.

"Am I… am I paralyzed?"

"I'm going to be completely honest with you, Mr. Grant. I don't know. We repaired whatever damage we could, but there is never a way of knowing for sure until you are awake and able to communicate with us. But, you are alive and we are confident that you will recover."

"Recover to be what? Wheelchair bound?"

Fitz was upset and angry and so goddam scared that he could barely form a thought, let alone the words to speak with his doctor.

"Mr. Grant, I know this is a terrible situation, but we will do our best to make sure we can get you back on your feet."

Fitz nodded his head solemnly and watched as the doctor pushed the thin hospital sheet up his legs, exposing his feet in the process. He touched the sole of his right foot first, then his left.

He didn't feel anything. He didn't feel the touch of his doctor's hands, or the pinch that should have been caused by the tiny needle used to evoke a reaction. Nothing.

"We performed surgery only hours ago, so these results are not necessarily permanent. I'm sorry we don't have better news for you right now, Mr. Grant, but I am confident that this can change as you recover."

The small group of doctors and nurses left soon after, and Fitz was left alone with his thoughts. With fresh medication flowing through his system, he did not actually feel any pain, just a dull, ever-present ache. He wanted it to hurt, though. He wanted his legs to feel pain, he wanted to be able to twist and turn them, to do _something. _Instead, there was only the pain of this awful _nothing_. His life had changed so quickly, he couldn't even begin to understand why this had to happen to him.

Fitz had not realized that he'd been crying when light footsteps announced yet another nurse. He did not turn his head, didn't feel the need to acknowledge the next person who wouldn't be able to help him.

"Good evening, Mr. Grant."

He did turn his head then, trying his hardest not to be rude. She noticed his blue eyes first, then the slowly drying tears stains on his face.

"I'm Olivia, the night nurse."

She was stunning – he noticed that much even with his brain full of devastatingly sad thoughts. She was petite, and her skin was the color of rich mocha. Her eyes were big and warm, and the smile on her full lips almost made him want to smile back. The pale pink color of her scrubs contrasted beautifully with her dark skin and hair, and Fitz couldn't help but think that she was too beautiful to be in an ICU room on a Friday night.

"It's nice to finally see you awake."

He raised a questioning eyebrow and Olivia responded with a smile.

"I was here last night when you arrived."

"Oh. I was out of it.", Fitz shrugged.

"You were. I'm glad you're doing better now."

He snorted dismissively, and turned his face away again.

Olivia wasn't perturbed by his attitude. She had, of course, checked the newest developments of her patients and she knew that he had learned of the severity of his injury not long ago.

"I have good news.", she smiled, trying to sound cheerful even though she felt bad for him and the situation he'd found himself in. "With your tube out, you get to eat some real food today. Well, you get grape jell-o, which is as close as you're going to get to real food right now."

"Which hand am I gonna eat it with? The broken one or the one covered in needles?"

His tone was bitter and harsh, but Olivia only allowed the encouraging smile to falter for a second. He spoke again before she could respond.

"I'm sorry.", Fitz mumbled. "I just…"

"You're fine. I'll survive the onslaught of bad attitudes. You're not my first grumpy patient and you certainly will not be my last."

She watched him blush, clearly embarrassed by the way he had acted. Olivia wasn't placating him – she really did understand why he was so unhappy, and she didn't mind taking on some of his anger.

"I shouldn't have snapped at you, and I apologize."

"Apology accepted. Now, Mr. Grant…"

"Fitz.", he interrupted her. "Please."

It wasn't the professional thing to do, but Olivia decided to let it slide just this once.

"Fitz…", she tried, happy about the barely noticeable smile that graced his lips. "I know it's not what you have in mind, but I'm going to help you eat, alright? You're going to need your strength and this is the first step to consuming actual food a couple days from now."

Olivia carefully fed him small portions of the purple fruit gel, watching him swallow with some difficulty.

"This stuff tastes awful.", he murmured, and she grinned in response.

"I know. Just be happy I didn't bring you black cherry."

He liked her sense of humor, almost appreciated it, but he wasn't quite able to show is appreciation. When he had emptied the small container with Olivia's help, his head sank back into the pillow exhaustedly. Fitz couldn't believe that eating tiny bites of jell-o could be so tiring. Olivia helped him adjust the flat pillow and pulled the sheet a little higher until it covered his chest. Her fingers brushed his bare chest lightly, and she felt soft hair tickling her skin.

"The bruises look awful.", Fitz observed quietly.

"I've seen much worse. Airbags leave terrible chest and facial bruising sometimes. You really don't look bad at all."

He didn't know what else to say, so Fitz chose not to respond. They were both quiet for a moment, and Olivia took that time to hang a new bag onto the IV, the clear liquid slowly dripping into the thin tube that was connected to Fitz' body. He looked at her questioningly.

"Pain meds.", she explained. "This should be enough to keep you comfortable throughout the night."

"I don't feel much.", Fitz shrugged, ignoring the throbbing of his chest where his ribs had been injured. "I… I can't feel my legs."

His blue eyes looked so incredibly sad at that moment that it hurt Olivia's heart. She'd seen so much pain and suffering here where life and death were often so very close. She had watched patients of every age die, and she'd seen family members break down and cry more times than she cared to count. Somehow, though, this patient made her feel especially invested.

"I know, Fitz.", she whispered. "I'm sorry there's nothing I can do about it."

He only nodded his head sadly.

"I'm going to give you something to help you sleep as well, okay? Your body needs to rest to be able to recover."

"Will you be here again tomorrow?", Fitz asked quietly, waiting for the pain and sleeping meds to take him to a place where he could forget about his injuries.

"Of course.", Olivia smiled, watching as his eyes began to drift close. "Every day for the next four days."

He opened them again and smiled a sad, crooked smile.

"You're really beautiful."

"That's the meds talking.", Olivia teased lightly, taken aback by his compliment. "You're delusional."

She found it surprisingly easy to talk to this man she'd only just met. Even in his condition, it wasn't difficult. He had a certain charm about him.

"No.", he replied sleepily. "You're pretty… prefect."

Olivia stayed with him until he was asleep. His words replayed in her mind over and over again. Finally, she left his room, a light blush coloring her cheeks. Meds or not, he'd made her smile.


	3. Chapter 2

_Thanks for the kind reviews! I love the questions and thoughts, and I hope this story will answer them all eventually._

~ Chapter 2 ~

"They're telling me you're not eating.", Olivia said instead of a greeting when she entered Fitz' room the next day.

It was nearly eleven o'clock at night already, but she had noticed that he was awake when she'd walked by his room earlier. Her patient looked more awake and alert today, but the sadness in his eyes only seemed to intensify. The deep blue, striking color of those sad eyes fascinated Olivia, because it seemed like it had a story to tell and a thousand secrets to hide. There was something incredibly mesmerizing about the bluest eyes she had ever seen.

"Not hungry.", he grumbled, much like a petulant child would do.

"How are you going to grow big and strong if you don't eat?"

Fitz sighed: "I'm really not hungry, Olivia. And I hate the taste of jell-o."

He had refused every meal since breakfast, and he really did not care whether he should have been eating or not. It didn't seem to matter now that everything was so different. What was a refused bite of lunch in the grand scheme of things anyway?

"I know. I know you don't feel like eating, and I know fruit gel in unnatural colors really isn't all that appetizing, but I also know that you are aware of the effects of not consuming any kind of solid food."

The nurse in Olivia had kicked in, and Fitz couldn't quite decide if he was annoyed or flattered by her persistence.

"This shit is hardly solid."

"You know what I mean.", Olivia chastised lightly. "This stuff really is gross, so I got you something better."

Fitz rolled his eyes. Under normal circumstances he would have appreciated her trying so hard to be helpful, but right now he found it just short of annoying.

"What is it this time? Pudding?"

"You're a real charmer today, aren't you?", Olivia huffed, his attitude beginning to gnaw on her. "I brought you mashed sweet potatoes. My granny used to make them for me when I was sick. They're easy to eat, but still nutritious and quite good."

"I'm not hungry.", Fitz repeated, less convincing this time.

She could tell his resolve was beginning to grow thin, if only because he did not want to tell her no again.

"And I understand that, Fitz. But your body is starting the long process of healing and recovering now, and even if you don't realize it, it takes a huge amount of energy for that to happen.", Olivia explained. "If you really cannot or do not want to eat, we're going to have to switch to a feeding tube."

"No more tubes."

"I thought so.", Olivia grinned, quite proud of her small victory.

She opened the container of mashed sweet potatoes and moved closer to stand over him. With an encouraging smile, Olivia pushed the first small spoonful past his lips. Fitz swallowed slowly, savoring the taste of something that didn't make him feel like he was eating flavored rubber balls.

"Can I try?", he asked after she had fed him a couple bites, hoping to gain back some of his independence.

"Okay.", Olivia nodded, placing the container on the small tray to help Fitz adjust himself in bed. "You'll have to be careful with your IV lines, but as long as you pay attention and don't get this twisted or stuck on something, you will be fine. Don't use your broken arm. I know you could probably manage to hold the spoon with that hand, but you're better off avoiding that struggle."

Olivia handed him the small spoon, and Fitz brought it up to his mouth as if to test his abilities. When he seemed to be able to move just fine, Olivia grabbed the container and held it for him above his lap, close to his chest. The process was slow, but Fitz finished the entire portion, and when he was done she smiled at him.

"You did great, Fitz.", she praised, genuinely happy that he had eaten.

"You're a really good cook.", Fitz replied.

"Don't tell anyone, but this is the only thing I can cook."

"I doubt that.", Fitz smiled.

"It's true. I can make mashed sweet potatoes, and I can pop popcorn like it's nobody's business."

"Popcorn is not a meal."

"Oh, of course it is!", Olivia exclaimed, ready to defend her favorite food. "You heat it up which makes it a meal, and it's a vegetable, so it's healthy too!"

He laughed. For the first time since he'd woken up Fitz laughed a short but genuine laugh. He'd never met anyone that was passionate about popcorn the way Olivia seemed to be, and he found it incredibly amusing to actually see her face light up at the mention of what he considered a snack at best.

"You're a little crazy.", he teased.

Olivia shrugged, smiling embarrassedly. She'd enjoyed his laugh, more than she cared to admit. It was the kind of deep, masculine laughter she had expected from a man of his size and built, but she hadn't been sure that she would ever hear it.

"Thank you for the food, Olivia.", Fitz finally said, the smile gone but his eyes still friendly. "You didn't have to do that."

"It's my job to make sure you get better."

"So you cook for all your patients then?"

"No.", Olivia mumbled, and actually blushed. "I usually don't."

Fitz chose not to comment on that, because he simply wasn't sure how to. Of course he'd known that what she'd done was an uncommon act of kindness, but it warmed his heart to know she had done it for him alone. Olivia was the first to break the silence that had fallen over them.

"How's the pain? Do I need to up your dosage again so you can sleep?"

"I'm good. The pain from my ribs is just kind of like a dull throbbing as long as I don't move, and the rest… well… it's not like I can feel anything."

The almost playful Fitz from just seconds ago was gone, and Olivia almost wished she wouldn't have asked about the pain medication. She watched him sink into his bed, and it was almost as if he was growing smaller in front of her eyes. It was never easy to see any patient suffer, but it was especially difficult with this particular man.

"When I was 23 I did a voluntary internship at a pediatric oncology.", Olivia began softly. "There was this tiny little girl, Emmeline, who was five but looked like a two year old. She'd been fighting brain tumors since she was just a baby, and the tumors and countless treatments had influenced her muscles. One day she was walking down the hospital hallway pushing her tiny IV pole, the next day she couldn't even move her legs. Her parents were devastated, and the doctors and nurses were all visibly shaken by that awful development. And then there was Emmy, who sat in her bed with her skinny little arms flailing around happily, and she squealed and told us that she'd always wanted to be a wheelchair racer."

Olivia smiled at Fitz sadly.

"So we spent weeks racing her up and down the hallway, just to make her laugh. She thought it was the best thing ever."

"What happened to her?", Fitz asked quietly.

Olivia pulled her cellphone out of the pocket of her scrubs. She pulled up a picture and showed it to Fitz. He stared at a beautiful young woman in her cap and gown, long brown hair playing in curls around her shoulders.

"She graduated high school last spring and started college in the fall. She's going to be an elementary school teacher."

"She's… walking?"

"Yup.", Olivia grinned. "She used the wheelchair for nearly two months before she was able to move around with a walker, then finally by herself. She fought for that, with a smile on her face."

"And she's healthy now?"

"They had another scare when she was thirteen, but she's okay right now. I get an updated picture every year. Look, Fitz, I know her story is different from yours, and the outcome may be different too, but whatever happens from here on out, don't give up."

"Olivia…"

"No. You fight. And you make the best out of this situation."

"Like Emmeline?"

"Exactly. She was only five years old, but she kept her head up and fought until she won. And you're going to do the same."

"I don't know if I can.", he admitted. "I don't know what I'm going to do if I'll never walk again."

"Then you become a wheelchair racer."

He snorted: "You're insane."

"Maybe.", Olivia shrugged. "But nothing will get better if you sit here and sulk. Use your energy to fight instead."

Fitz looked at her, at the determination in her dark eyes. He couldn't understand why she seemed to care more than a nurse should have cared for a random patient, but he was thankful. Thankful, that she was such a strong-willed, no-nonsense woman.

"I'll try.", he finally conceded.

"Of course you will.", Olivia stated matter-of-fact. "There's no other option here."

"Okay."

They were quiet for a moment before Olivia spoke again.

"I need to go tend to my other patients."

"Of course. I'm sorry I kept you so long."

"No problem at all. I'll come back to check in on you later to make sure you behave."

Her comment earned her a small smile, and she left his room shortly after.

"Goodnight, Mr. Grant."

"Goodnight, Liv."

For the second night in a row, she blushed on her way out the door.


	4. Chapter 3

_Thanks for the lovely reviews! I hope you continue to enjoy this. _

~ Chapter 3 ~

The first night home alone after a long week of nightshifts was always the one that most reminded her how quiet her apartment really was, and this particular one was not any different. Olivia sat on her cream colored couch, wrapped an oversized grey cardigan and a pair of black fleece leggings. A large cup of tea sat on the small coffee table in front of her, her laptop was resting on her thighs, and she was surrounded by books. Her half empty container of Thai food had been pushed to the side to make room for the medical journal Olivia received monthly, and with the TV turned off, the only sound in the spacious living room was the occasional flipping of pages.

Even though she had not made it home until nearly seven thirty in the morning, Olivia had only managed to sleep a few hours before waking up in the early afternoon. Since then, she had devoted her time to researching a patient's condition and in particular his chances of a full recovery. After long hours of reading both books and online articles, she could no longer convince herself that it was normal to spend so much of her personal time on a patient. It was neither her job, nor was it typical behavior for her. But nothing seemed to be typical when it came to Fitz Grant.

Olivia felt bad for him, but that was only part of it. There was something about him that wouldn't let go of her, like this man she barely knew had a hold on her that she couldn't seem to shake. He was an open book and a mystery at the same time; so much about him so clear to her, yet so much a big question.

Fitz was, according to his patient file, a 48 year old D.C. lawyer with no prior medical conditions. A woman by the name of Joan Ellis was listed as his only emergency contact, and based on the note left in his file, she was Fitz' sister. There were a few things about him that Olivia knew even though they weren't listed anywhere.

He was handsome, strikingly so. His hair was full and curly, and his body was that of an active, athletic man. Fitz did not look his age, and Olivia had been surprised to find out that he was nearly 50 years old. Despite his injury and his visible sadness, he was charming and sweet, always able to make an often almost stoic Olivia smile. She wondered about his background and about his family, and how it was possible that such a kindhearted man had not welcomed a single visitor since his accident nearly six days ago.

She was brought out of her thoughts when her cellphone beeped and signaled an incoming text message. Olivia checked the sender and quickly opened it when she noticed that it was from Abby – one of her fellow ICU nurses and a good friend. The short message simply read:

_"__Don't be mad, and remember you love me. x" _

Olivia raised an eyebrow, unsure what her friend's words meant. Before she could type a response, her phone began to ring, this time announcing an unknown caller. Olivia frowned, but answered the call anyway.

"Hello?"

"Uhm… Olivia… hi… this is Fitz."

She felt her heart beat faster at the sound of his voice, simultaneously rolling her eyes at her own reaction. She didn't like not having control over her own body's reactions.

"Hi.", she replied quietly.

"Hi."

There was a short moment of silence, almost like he'd called on an impulse and didn't know what to say now that she was actually on the other end of the line. Then Fitz cleared his throat.

"I know you must be wondering how I got your number, and I'm really sorry if I'm crossing a line here."

"It's okay.", Olivia answered, because it was, even though this was all so strange.

"Your colleague, Abby, gave it to me, she said you wouldn't mind. I had to promise her that you wouldn't be mad at her."

"I'm not.", she smiled, because he was rambling and it was cute.

"Good. I'm glad. That's… good."

They both laughed then, utterly aware of the fact that they were acting like two awkward teenagers. The laughter gave them both a moment to relax, and when they'd calmed down it seemed to be a little easier to talk.

"I really do hope I'm not disturbing you, Liv. I figured you wouldn't be asleep yet."

"I'm not.", she replied. "I'm… uhm… reading."

It wasn't a lie, and it wasn't the entire truth either, but Olivia figured she could get away with that for now.

"Was there a reason for your call?", she finally asked, her voice soft and quiet.

"Kind of.", he chuckled. "You're not working tonight. How dare you?"

Olivia could hear the smile in his voice, and it made her grin in return.

"Well, Mr. Grant, some of us worked all week and deserve a day off. Not everyone can laze around in a semi-comfortable bed and do nothing but watch TV all day."

"You're right, of course. This whole laying around and doing nothing thing is like a vacation. Minus the beach. And the cocktails. Or the hot ladies in bikinis."

This time, Olivia couldn't help but laugh out loud. She could not have talked like this with any other patient, out of fear that she was crossing a line or hurting someone's feelings. With Fitz she didn't mind, because she felt like she knew just how far to take the teasing and joking. It was effortless.

"So is that the kind of man you are? Always looking for the next chick in a tiny outfit?"

"Are you offering, Nurse Olivia?"

"Oh my God!", she laughed. "You did not just ask me that! This conversation is turning into such a cliché."

"This is why I called, you know?", Fitz grinned at the other end of the line. "You always manage to make me smile."

His admission made her heart speed up again, and Olivia sank deeper into the large cushions of her couch. She brought her legs up to tuck her feet under her favorite blanket – a gift from the very same grandmother that had taught her the secrets of mashed sweet potatoes – and her eyes drifted to the window.

"It's snowing again.", she told him, matter-of-factly.

"I grew up in California and I never quite got used to D.C. winters, I just kind of accepted them. Now I really despise them."

"Your sister is still in California, right?", Olivia asked, remembering the information from his patient file.

"Yeah. She called me earlier today to brag about the mild temperatures and the sunshine."

The affection in his voice told Olivia how much Fitz loved his sister, and she imagined her being younger, always spoiled and protected by her older brother.

"Is that why you haven't had any visitors?", Olivia spoke quietly. "Because your family is on the West Coast?"

"Only my sister is, with her husband and my two beautiful little nieces. My mom passed away when I was in my late twenties, and my father died of a heart attack a couple of years ago."

"I shouldn't have asked. I'm sorry."

"No, you're fine, Liv. I don't mind talking about them.", Fitz interjected quickly. "How about you? Do you have family in D.C.?"

"My mom died when I was 12.", Olivia replied, feeling like it was easier to talk to Fitz about these things than it was with anyone else she knew. "My dad lives in D.C., I think. We don't really… see each other."

Fitz didn't ask another question about her parents, and she appreciated that more than she could put into words. They shared a similar fate, both of their parents no longer an active part of their lives.

"I was worried about you when nobody came to see you."

"You don't have to be.", Fitz smiled. "My sister calls every day, usually twice, and she's offered to come but I don't want her to. She and her husband both have busy jobs and their girls are still so little. There is no need for them to get on a plane just to visit me here for an hour."

"It makes sense.", Olivia admitted, because she would have made the same decision if it was her in that hospital bed. "No wife?"

She had wanted to ask that question for a while now, even though it was far from appropriate. Olivia bit her lip nervously as soon as the words were spoken.

"No.", Fitz answered honestly. "Not anymore."

"Oh."

"We got divorced four years ago."

"I'm sorry."

"Don't be, Liv. We were never right for each other."

"And you don't have kids together?", Olivia asked hesitantly.

"No. I've always wanted them, just never found the right person to have them with."

If Olivia found it strange that he had married but still didn't feel like his wife was the right woman to have children with, she did not mention it.

"I know what you mean.", she whispered, almost to herself.

And after that, they were quiet, both lost in thoughts about what they had just admitted to each other. Olivia was 36 years old, and although she was healthy and fit, she knew time was running out to find a man that she would want to start a family with. She had always wanted to be a mom; she wanted to have one child, maybe two. Doubts gnawed on her constantly though, because she hadn't grown up in a very loving home, especially after her mother's death, and she often struggled trying to figure out if she would even be a good mom.

"They're moving me out of the ICU tomorrow.", Fitz interrupted her thoughts.

"I'll come visit you.", she blurted without a second thought.

"In a tiny bikini with a cocktail in your hand, right?", he teased, trying to mask his excitement with a silly joke.

"I was thinking more along the lines of a tiny nurse outfit."

"Livvie.", he warned, and the tone of his voice and the fact that he'd called her that actually made her swallow.

"I'm hanging up now.", Olivia said firmly.

"Yeah, that's probably better."

Neither one of them did for a long time.


	5. Chapter 4

_Thanks you for all the sweet reviews! I always try to post a new chapter every three days, but I'm going to be really busy this weekend so I might not be able to get a new one up until the middle of the week. I will try my best though. As always, enjoy and please tell me what you think!_

~ Chapter 4 ~

The hospital hallways were always relatively busy with visitors and patients on Saturdays, and this one was no exception. Olivia preferred it that way, because it allowed her to take the elevator to the third floor and find the patient room she was looking for without being recognized by any of the hospital staff. She did not come to this part of the hospital very often, which helped her slip through without having to stop and answer inevitable questions or engage in small talk with colleagues.

When she reached room 319, Olivia knocked on the door briefly and barely waited to hear his voice before she opened it and stepped into the room. Fitz was propped up in bed, and except for the white cast on his arm, he looked almost healthy. His curly hair was slightly wet in the back, and Olivia wondered if they had foregone the obligatory sponge bath and wheeled him into the shower instead, now that he was in a private room and no longer hooked to an IV. Her thoughts were interrupted by the sight of his wide grin.

"Hi."

"Hi.", she smiled. "You look better today."

"As opposed to how awful I looked yesterday?"

"I didn't see you yesterday, but it was probably pretty bad.", Olivia teased playfully, walking up to his bed to greet him. "I brought you a book I thought you might enjoy, and I printed off names of specialists for your injury, if you're interested, that is."

"Thanks, Liv.", he replied, genuinely touched by her concern and the effort she must have put into creating the long list of doctors from all over the country.

"Any changes yet?", Olivia asked, pointing to his legs that were now clad in sweatpants rather than just the thin bed sheet used in the ICU.

"No.", Fitz sighed. "My ribs aren't nearly as painful as they were, so I can sit up comfortably now. They were able to push me around in a wheelchair today, and I guess it helps to at least get out of this bed for a little bit. I have an appointment with PT on Monday, and they want to set up a pretty strict regimen of exercises that are supposed to teach me how to get around with the wheelchair, and eventually – hopefully – bring back my ability to move my legs."

"Okay. That sounds good. Any word on when you will be able to go home?"

He frowned and shrugged his shoulders, and Olivia knew the answer to that question wasn't going to be one he liked.

"The doctor I spoke to today said, technically, I'd be fine to go home in a week, maybe two. I could do outpatient rehab, but I don't know how that's going to be possible. I have this stupid cast for another five weeks, so I can barely push myself around. And even if I could, my apartment is far from wheelchair accessible."

"What about inpatient treatment at a rehabilitation facility that will treat you and only release you when you walk again?"

_When_. Not_ if_.

Olivia's choice of words wasn't lost on him, and Fitz appreciated the way she looked at things in such a positive light, even though he couldn't quite share that positive attitude. At least not yet.

"I don't know.", he admitted, his voice full of defeat. "I don't want to be stuck in hospitals for God knows how long, but I don't think I will have a choice. And if… things… don't get better, I'm not quite sure what's going to happen anyway."

He looked so sad, the boyish grin from earlier gone completely. Olivia pulled a chair up to his bed and sat down. She grabbed his uninjured hand and held it between both of her own. Fitz' eyes drifted down to where her tiny hands where barely engulfing his own much larger one. Her thumb was stroking absentminded circles against his skin, and he briefly wondered how a simple touch could be so comforting. He realized that this was the first time she'd touched him in a way that didn't include feeding him, or hooking him up to new IVs. This wasn't Nurse Olivia touching him. This was Liv.

"I don't want to talk about this anymore.", he finally spoke. "It's all I think about all day long anyway."

"Alright.", Olivia agreed. "Next choice of topic is all yours."

He smiled: "I wanna talk about you."

"There's not much to talk about.", she shrugged offhandedly.

Olivia touched her nose quickly, a nervous trait he'd noticed before when she had fed him in the ICU. Her other hand remained firmly on top of his own, and in a moment of temporary insanity, Fitz flipped his hand so their palms touched and their fingers intertwined automatically. He held his breath to see if Olivia would pull away, and when she didn't, he relaxed.

"I have a feeling that's not true. Please?"

"Okay.", she murmured. "Uhm… I'm an only child, and you already know about my parents. I've worked as a nurse all of my adult life, first in a children's hospital, and for the last eight years here in the ICU. And that's about it."

"And when you're not working or spending your time with handicapped patients, what do you do?"

She laughed nervously: "I'm really pretty boring. Dinner with a couple good friends here and there, you know, nothing special."

"No boyfriend?"

He had wanted to ask that question, and now that she had asked about his wife – or the lack thereof – Fitz felt that it was okay to ask her as well. He had decided that Olivia wasn't married, because there was no ring on her finger, but that did not mean she wasn't taken.

"Nope.", she shook her head. "There's no-one."

The way she said those words made him wonder if there was a deeper meaning behind them. She looked distant, like she had gone off to a far-away place in her mind, and Fitz wondered if she was just _alone_, or _lonely_. Olivia was such a beautiful, kind-hearted woman, and even though it was sometimes difficult to penetrate the shell she had created around herself, he felt like it was worth it if only to reveal a new part of her colorful personality. Fitz wanted to know everything about her.

"They're all missing out, you know?"

His smile was genuine and warm, and Olivia felt all the tell-tale signs of approaching tears. She shrugged again and forced a smile. Unknowingly, Fitz had discovered one of her biggest fears. Maybe people – men – weren't actually missing out. The thought that maybe there was nothing to miss out on, nothing about her that would make her interesting, gnawed on her day in and day out. Olivia was a loner, almost painfully so, and when she wasn't working she usually sat home by herself. She'd never had a successful relationship, and while some had simply run their course, others had been downright painful for her. Loneliness and self-doubt were ugly companions she carried around with her constantly. While she was crumbling behind the façade, she exuded an air of confidence and intelligence that was often unmatched. She was witty and smart and a great leader. But when it came down to it, she didn't know if that would ever matter, or if she was simply meant to be alone.

Olivia's thoughts drifted back to the man in front of her, and she watched his fingers tighten around her own, his large thumb caressing her palm and the sensitive skin along her wrist and pulse point. He was incredibly gentle with her – soft, barely noticeable caresses paired with the pressure of his hand refusing to let go of her own.

At that moment, all she wanted to do was crawl into his hospital bed with him to curl up against his side. The urge came so suddenly and unexpectedly that Olivia nearly pulled away from Fitz in shock, but he wouldn't let her go. She wanted to lay with him, comfort him and be comforted by him. Olivia never depended on anyone, so the feeling of needing him – this man she barely even knew – was foreign and beyond scary.

"It's okay.", Fitz whispered quietly, as if he knew what she was thinking.

Slowly, without her mind's permission, Olivia's head began to lower itself. She carefully placed her cheek against his shoulder, her face finding its home in the warmth of his neck. He smelled good – fresh and clean, and indescribably manly. Olivia's heart was racing too fast, and when she brought her free hand to rest on his chest, she felt his beat just as rapidly. She had never felt so connected to another human being, and it was by far the most terrifying thing she'd ever experienced.

Fitz carefully brought his broken arm up until the tips of his fingers touched her soft hair. He pushed the few loose strands off her forehead, then leaned down and kissed her there gently. For a long time, Fitz simply rested his lips there, reveling in the fact that he was so close to Olivia.

She wanted to cry, to beg him to pull her a little closer, hold her a little tighter, but words wouldn't come to her. So instead, they simply stayed together like that – her face tucked safely into the crook of his neck while Fitz peppered her forehead with soft kisses and gentle caresses. Olivia couldn't remember anyone ever treating her with such tender care.

After a long time, Fitz was first to break the silence.

"I'm going to ask you something, and I need you to promise me that your answer will be completely honest."

He felt her nod slowly, hesitantly against his shoulder.

"If it wasn't for this damn wheelchair, would you go out with me?"

The silence was long and deafening, almost unbearably so. Finally, Olivia turned her face and placed the softest of kisses against his jaw.

"With or without wheelchair, I'd love nothing more."


	6. Chapter 5

_I appreciate all of your reviews so much, please keep them coming! Enjoy!_

~ Chapter 5 ~

With one nurse home with a sick child and another sick herself, work was busier than usual for Olivia. She had been working extra shifts and had not seen Fitz in almost four days. They had spoken on the phone every night, and two days ago she had almost caved and used her brief lunch break to visit him, but Olivia was afraid that people would start gossiping about them, so she had ultimately decided against it. She missed him, it was as simple as that. Olivia missed the smile on his face when she entered the room, and she missed the way he could make her laugh. Most of all, she missed the way Fitz had held her that night.

For days, Olivia had been able to think about nothing else, especially when she was home alone in her way-too-big bed at night. Sometimes she wished they had not taken things that far, other times Olivia imagined taking things much further. It was a vicious cycle of emotions that she was trapped in now, day in and day out. It was difficult for her to feel that way, because she was not used to it. Olivia had created a world for herself that did not allow for such deep feelings, because whenever she did allow herself to truly _feel_, she ended up hurt. Now Fitz had come into her life, and her emotions were much like a storm – constantly moving and changing.

Her shift was just ending, and as she changed from her scrubs back into regular clothes, she once again contemplated the pros and cons of visit Fitz'. As the imaginary list grew longer and longer Olivia made her way to the elevator. Surprisingly, she was alone, her finger hovering over the button that would direct the elevator to the basement exit where her car was parked in the parking garage. Instead, she hit the large "3".

Fitz wasn't alone when she entered his room, and Olivia felt immediately disappointed. An older gentleman in a suit with a jacket that was too big on him was standing next to Fitz' bed. He was gesturing wildly as he spoke, and Olivia wondered if he would stop to take a breath eventually. When the men noticed her, she smiled at Fitz and stepped further into the room.

"Liv! Hi.", he grinned, obviously excited to see her. "This is my good friend and colleague Cyrus…"

"Beene.", Olivia interrupted as soon as the man had turned to face her fully. "You're Cyrus Beene."

"Olivia Pope.", he laughed. "Well, I'll be damned!"

He shook her hand harder than she would have expected, and Olivia had to laugh at his exuberance.

"You know each other?", Fitz questioned, clearly confused by the exchange.

"Olivia was a student of mine back in the day. Smartest kid in the class, but very difficult to satisfy. Whenever you'd think you were done, she'd have another question."

"A student of yours? How were you teaching nurses as a lawyer?", Fitz laughed incredulously.

"It wasn't a nursing class. Olivia took a couple of my classes in her free time.", Cyrus grinned. "You know, like all students like to do, all the time."

Olivia blushed and shrugged her shoulders: "The law is… interesting."

"I can't believe you're_ the_ Olivia. Fitz can't stop talking about how great you are."

This time around, they both blushed like teenagers, and Cyrus seemed to be rather satisfied with the fact that he had been able to embarrass them both. He squeezed Fitz's shoulder and said his goodbyes, not leaving the room until he had scrutinized the pair long and hard. When he was gone, Olivia turned to Fitz.

"I can't believe you work with Cyrus Beene!"

"I can't believe you took voluntary classes that had nothing to do with your major.", Fitz replied. "You must have been such a bad example for college students everywhere."

"If it ever comes to it…", Olivia laughed. "I can defend myself in court."

"When you get in trouble, I'll be your lawyer.", Fitz suggested, his voice serious but the grin on his face silly and suggestive. "You can pay me any way you want."

"You're ridiculous.", she giggled, already feeling the emotional effects of being close to him flooding her body.

She pulled up a chair, sat next to him, and leaned in to place a chaste kiss on his cheek. His barely noticeable stubble tickled her lips and the tip of her nose.

"I didn't think you'd be able to stop by today.", Fitz said, his bright eyes watching her every move, always trying to make sure Olivia stayed close to him.

"I wasn't going to come, but I wanted to see you.", she explained. "How has your day been?"

"They showed me how to transfer myself from the regular wheelchair to a shower chair, so I'm finally able to take care of all bathroom business by myself. I'm working on moving out of and into bed as well, but it's difficult."

"Wanna try with me?", Olivia asked, wanting to be able to help him gain back the independence that was so important to him.

"I don't know. It's kind of… a struggle."

"We could bundle you up and go outside for a few minutes. I know you don't really like the snow, but some fresh air might actually feel good."

Fitz contemplated her offer. He really did want to go outside, because he had not ventured further than the hospital hallway in his wheelchair, and he had long since moved passed feeling restless. At the same time, he knew his attempts to transfer himself into his wheelchair were a pitiful sight – one he did not necessarily want Olivia to witness. But then he remembered that she had seen him – cared for him even – when he had been at his lowest, so Fitz finally decided to take a leap of faith.

"Okay. Let's do it."

The smile that illuminated her already gorgeous face made all of the efforts he was about to face worth it. Fitz instructed Olivia to position his wheelchair the way the nurse had shown him earlier, then he sat up fully and moved his legs to hang over the edge of the bed. He was wearing sweatpants and a hoodie, Olivia helped him with his sneakers, and finally pulled his jacket from the small hospital room closet for him to put on once he was in his chair. He hadn't exaggerated when he'd described the process as a struggle. Something that was already difficult enough, was mad even more complicated by the pesky cast on Fitz' arm. Olivia had to force herself to stand back and allow him to try to figure things out on his own, because she knew he had to learn these things quickly. When Fitz was finally in his wheelchair, he was visibly exhausted. Olivia placed a hand on his shoulder and leaned down to kiss the top of his head, waiting for his breathing to calm down again.

"You did good, Fitz. I'm proud of you."

He smiled at her, the look on his face a strange mixture of pain and gratefulness. When his jacket was zipped up, Olivia grabbed the small blanket off his bed and wrapped it around his legs to keep him warm. They passed the nurses' desk on their way out, and for the first time Olivia made use of her privilege as a nurse. She showed her badge and explained that she would like to take her friend for a short walk to allow him to get some fresh air and see a little bit of the outside world. Because Fitz was – all things considered – in relatively good shape, the nurse in charge waved them off with a smile.

The cold air hit them in the face with all its might, and Fitz pulled his hood over his head quickly. Olivia was pushing him, her high-heeled boots making dull clicking sounds as they slowly moved further away from the hospital.

"It's freezing out here!", Fitz yelled over the sound of an approaching ambulance, but when he turned around to look at her his grin was so wide that it made her heart smile in return.

"There's a small café a couple blocks from here, and it's always really busy in the mornings but by now we should be able to get a table.", Olivia explained. "Want some real, non-hospital coffee?"

"You are heaven-sent.", Fitz smiled, meaning every word of it.

Over coffee and fresh, fluffy blueberry muffins, they laughed and talked. After Fitz' initial anxiety about being out in public in a wheelchair for the first time, he soon relaxed, calmed by Olivia's presence. Nearly an hour passed before they decided to return to the hospital, mainly because his first post-accident outing had left Fitz pleasantly tired. Olivia pushed him back to his room, and this time she helped him into bed wordlessly, knowing his energy was still far from what it once used to be. Fitz was grateful that he didn't have to ask her for help – she simply seemed to know what he needed and when. When he was comfortably tucked under the covers, Fitz reached his hand out to hold her cold ones.

"Can you stay for a little bit?"

"Of course."

Olivia was about to pull up a chair when he stopped her. She watched him scoot closer to the edge of the bed before pulling the sheet up slightly.

"Fitz…", Olivia warned. "That would be completely inappropriate."

"Then let's be inappropriate.", he smiled, his eyes pleading with her.

She simply stood there for a moment, staring at the small, empty space next to him. She knew she'd fit if she curled into him, and her heart raced at the thought. Finally, Olivia took a deep breath and carefully climbed into Fitz' hospital bed. She didn't dare touch him, and everything seemed so awkward and scary now. He waited for her head to fall to the spot on his shoulder that it had occupied a few days ago, and when it finally did, Fitz wrapped his arm around her and pulled her flush against him.

"You're freezing.", he said, pulling her cold hands between their bodies and wrapping the blanket around her tightly.

Olivia began to warm immediately – the kind of warmth only another body could create for you.

"I've been thinking about this for days…", Olivia admitted.

"What?"

"What it'd feel like to truly be in your arms.", she whispered quietly.

"Does it live up to your expectations?", Fitz asked, equally as quiet.

She smiled into his neck where she'd tucked her cold face: "It's better."

"I think the café should count as our first date…", he said. "… even though it was technically you who took me out, and that's not what I had in mind."

"You think so?"

"Yes, because then I can pretend that you let me walk you home after, and that I can finally kiss you."


	7. Chapter 6

_Your reviews, follows, and favorites are very much appreciated. It's great knowing that people are enjoying the story despite - or because of - the slow pace. I know they're taking their sweet time, but I hope you will enjoy this next step of their journey. _

~ Chapter 6 ~

With a deep breath, Olivia pushed herself up a little so she was face-to-face with Fitz without having to stretch her neck. He was so close to her that she could feel his warm breath tickling her lips. Olivia stared into his eyes, the stony blue color captivating her like it had from the moment they'd first met. If she was being completely honest with herself, she could admit that she had been thinking about kissing Fitz. She had wondered whether it would be the natural progression to what they had been doing – the hour-long talks, the laughing together, the emotionally intimate moment they'd shared a few days ago – but she was also scared of taking a step so big and important with him. There was still so much holding her back – holding _them_ back – but when Olivia looked into Fitz' eyes now, all those reasons seemed so unimportant.

Gentle fingers had begun exploring her face with feather-light caresses, like he was a blind man trying to memorize what she looked like. It felt strange to allow him this exploration, but at the same time it felt too perfect to even consider stopping him. The tip of Fitz' nose was nuzzling her own softly, and Olivia was sure she had never experienced such slow, beautiful foreplay to a kiss. She already knew that she would let him kiss her, that she would never be able to say 'no' to the man that was treating her like she was made out of fine china.

"You have the most beautiful face I have ever seen.", Fitz whispered, every word accentuated with a gentle stroke of his fingertips. "When you walked into my room that first night, you literally took my breath away. I never knew someone could be so captivating."

"Fitz…", she breathed, his words touching her in places that she had locked tightly many years ago.

"I know we haven't known each other for long, and I know that this whole situation is difficult, and anything but perfect, but I'd love nothing more than to kiss you, Livvie."

"Okay.", she sighed softly, granting him permission hesitantly but willingly.

He was surprisingly nervous, wanting so much to make her feel good and secure about what was happening between them. Her lips felt even softer than they looked, and when Fitz first touched them with his own, he knew he'd do anything to make sure he would get to kiss her again and again. Olivia sighed against his lips and relaxed, her tense body falling into his. He was barely moving, simply ghosting his lips along hers. Finally, Olivia kissed him back, opening her mouth just wide enough to allow his bottom lip to slip in between hers. When it did, Fitz gently pulled her upper lip into his mouth with his teeth. She gasped, knowing she was going to lose any willpower she had left with his kisses. The first touch of his tongue against hers made Olivia's toes curl, and she suddenly couldn't get close enough to Fitz.

Running her hand along his neck, Olivia buried her fingers into his soft curls. Fitz groaned when he felt her nails trailing delicate paths along the sensitive skin of his neck and head, and he couldn't help but picture her leaving marks on his body. He teased her tongue with his own, and when a surprised moan left her sweet mouth, Fitz knew that he was going to make it his mission to hear all the different moans and gasps her perfect body had to offer.

He tasted like coffee and kissed her with a passion and determination that left Olivia absolutely breathless. She was the first to break the kiss, catching her breath quickly before Fitz' lips returned to her, this time with feverish urgency. He breathed her name into her mouth, and Olivia wanted so badly to hear him say it over and over again. In that moment, she realized that if he would have taken things further, she would have been absolutely powerless to stop him. So she was thankful that his hands didn't wander, that he gave her only as much as she could take, like he knew how fragile her heart was despite – or maybe because of – the wall built around it.

This time, Fitz broke the kiss, and after a few more gentle pecks against the skin of her cheek, he opened his eyes to look at her. Olivia was flushed, her breath labored, and her eyes were full of desire. She was so stunning in that moment, that his heart physically ached.

"Livvie…", he sighed, like he could hardly believe that she was really in his arms, that the sweet taste of her lips was lingering on his own.

"I've never been kissed like that.", she murmured.

"Like what?"

"Like you've put your all into that one kiss."

"Maybe I did.", Fitz smiled lovingly. "Maybe I've saved my best kiss for the day you'd let me kiss you."

"That's really cheesy.", she grinned, but the way her voice caught gave away how much his words meant to her.

Fitz chuckled lightly, appreciative of her sense of humor. He knew she was just as overwhelmed by their kiss as he was, even if she wasn't quite able to voice her emotions. In the quiet hours of the night when he was wide awake, staring at the off-white ceiling of his hospital room, Fitz often wondered about the demons that haunted Olivia Pope. She was – despite her attempts to hide it – emotionally closed off and sometimes it seemed like she was almost terrified to let herself feel. He was determined to find out what had happened to her and who had made this strong, incredibly intelligent woman so afraid to just _feel_.

"Would it be completely wrong of me to want you to stay here with me tonight?"

She smiled at him, pecking his inviting lips to indulge his request for a moment.

"Not wrong, but impossible.", Olivia sighed. "I have to work in the morning, and they wouldn't allow a visitor to stay overnight anyway."

"You're not just any visitor.", Fitz reasoned, although he knew that it truly was not possible for her to stay with him – at least not yet. "But I understand."

"Maybe someday…", she trailed off.

It wasn't quite a promise of a future together, but nonetheless it showed him that she too had been thinking about spending time with him from there on out. Fitz closed his eyes and enjoyed the feeling of her small fingers massaging his scalp, alternating between gentle pressure and soft scratches of her perfectly manicured nails. He could have fallen asleep like this, her careful attention relaxing his tired body until he was dozing off.

Olivia watched him intently once his eyes had closed. She knew he wasn't sleeping, but she also knew that he was most likely exhausted from their little excursion earlier and that he needed rest above anything else. Fitz was fascinating to her. She loved the way his eyelids fluttered as he fought sleep, and she loved the small smile that played on his lips when she let her thumb caress his cheek. An errant curl had fallen to his forehead, so she pushed it back and placed a chaste kiss there. Olivia wasn't normally a very affectionate person, because showing her affection – especially towards a man – meant sharing intimacy, and that was something she usually didn't like risking. But it was different with him. She reveled in the touches and caresses she shared with him, loved getting to know him so slowly, almost carefully.

"I'm going to fall asleep on you if you keep that up.", Fitz mumbled, and up until that moment Olivia hadn't even noticed that she was humming to him softly.

"I'm going to let you sleep now.", she smiled.

He had opened his eyes, and his crooked grin almost made her change her mind. Finally, Olivia pushed herself up and slipped out of the bed. She watched as Fitz' hand slid to the spot she had occupied mere seconds ago, like he wanted to keep her warmth with him as long as possible. Straightening her clothes, Olivia made sure that she looked less flustered than she felt before she would have to leave his room. When her gaze returned to him, Fitz was smiling up at her.

Olivia returned his smile and leaned down, kissing him goodbye. He brought his hand up to hold her face to his own a little longer than she had planned, but he didn't deepen the kiss. They broke apart eventually, both dazed by the passion a simple kiss could stir between them.

"Call me when you get home.", Fitz said.

"You might already be asleep."

"It doesn't matter. I want to know that you made it home safe."

She didn't argue, touched by his concern: "Okay."

Olivia wasn't used to having someone else to consider, and she couldn't remember the last time someone had cared enough about her whereabouts and her security to request a call when she would arrive home. The few friends she had were equally as independent as she was, and she had no family to speak of – none that cared enough to be concerned about her. This was so different – a new experience, but a pleasant one.

With a final wave on her way through the door, Olivia left Fitz behind to ponder what he needed to do to assure they would share many more moment like the one that had his tired mind racing. They had kissed. And he already knew that he wanted to kiss this woman for the rest of his life.


	8. Chapter 7

_Once again, thank you for your incredibly encouraging and sweet support for this story._

~ Chapter 7 ~

"So, what do you think?", Fitz' sister asked and quickly answered her own question, without waiting for him to reply. "I think it looks great, Fitz!"

Joan, nearly ten years younger than her brother and the baby of the family, stood with her hands on her hips and admired her work. She had flown to D.C. the day before to help Fitz settle into the rehab facility that would be his home for approximately eight weeks, unless he gained back his ability to move his legs. Fitz had argued that it was a waste of time for her to fly that far only to watch him be wheeled from a hospital room to a different room in a different building, but now that she was here, he was happy about it.

He looked around the room that was now his temporary home. It was an upgrade from the hospital, albeit a small one. The room was bigger and it reminded him of a mixture between a hospital room and the affordable option at a Holiday Inn. There was a small desk in the corner of the room where Joan had placed his laptop, a picture of her daughters – Fitz' beloved nieces – and a couple other small personal items that she had retrieved from his home so the room would feel a little less clinical. The bed wasn't much different than the one he had slept in at the hospital, but there was a loveseat against the wall opposite the rather large TV, which made everything feel a little more homey. A cheap copy of some sort of abstract painting hung slightly crooked above the sofa in an attempt to give the room a personal touch. The adjacent bathroom was relatively small but sufficient for a single person. Joan had stocked it with all of Fitz' toiletries, fresh towels, and a couple of decorative items that had made him shake his head.

It was only Tuesday, but by Thursday Joan's little family would join them for a long weekend, and although Fitz had been hesitant at first, he was looking forward to seeing the precious little girls he adored so much. He had insisted that they would all stay at his apartment instead of a hotel, because he didn't like his sister spending money because of him, and he wasn't using the spacious D.C. home anyway.

Fitz wheeled himself to the window and took in the view. It wasn't bad, really. Definitely much better than the view he'd had from the hospital, except for the snow that had begun to fall for what seemed like the hundredth time this winter. Starting the next morning, Fitz would begin with physical therapy, and while all of his treatments would take place within the large building, he had already been told that he would be able to leave for a few hours at a time, something he looked forward to immensely.

"So…", Joan chirped. "Tell me more about this Olivia girl."

"She's not really a girl… more of a woman."

"Don't be a smartass!", she groaned, punching her brother's shoulder lightly.

"Well, she's… amazing. She's really beautiful – inside and out – and very smart. She has this kind of witty, tongue-in-cheek humor, and sometimes she giggles at her own cheesy jokes before she's even finished telling them.", Fitz grinned. "She's very loyal, and a fantastic listener and she makes you want to be a better person, if only to keep up with how wonderful she is. Olivia's just kind of… she's really great."

Joan watched her brother talk about the woman she had yet to meet, and she was stunned by what she saw. He seemed so full of life and energy all of the sudden, and his eyes had lit up brightly. She had only ever seen that light in his eyes when he was around her children, but it was still different. Fitz had been married, but never once had she witnessed him talking about his wife the way he talked about the woman who had only just entered his life a few short weeks ago.

"You are so gone.", Joan laughed, completely surprised by how much he seemed to like Olivia.

"I am not.", Fitz protested weakly. "We're friends."

"Friends, yeah right. Did you make out with her yet?"

He didn't answer her right away, and Joan gasped.

"Oh my God, you did!"

"We didn't make out, and even if we would have, I wouldn't be talking to you about it."

"You so did. Stop bullshitting me!", she grinned triumphantly. "Was it good?"

"Joan, I'm not discussing my sex life with you."

"Sex life? I guess Little Fitz didn't take a hit then when you crashed your car?"

"Stop!", Fitz laughed, utterly embarrassed by his younger sister. "I didn't mean it like that. Of course I haven't slept with Olivia. We just met."

"But you did make out?", Joan asked again, fishing for information.

"We might have possibly shared a kiss."

"I knew it! I so knew it!"

"You're a pain in the ass, you know that?", Fitz asked, his smile letting her know that he wasn't mad at her.

"It's my duty as your sister to ask these questions."

"You're lucky I didn't kick you out yet.", Fitz teased.

Joan was still teasing him when a quiet knock on the door interrupted their conversation. Fitz didn't need to wait for her to step into the room to know that it was Olivia. Although he was happy to see her, he almost dreaded her meeting his younger sister, because he knew that Joan had a problem keeping her mouth shut sometimes.

"Hi.", she smiled. "I'm sorry, I didn't know you had company."

Fitz didn't get a chance to introduce them to each other before Joan began to speak.

"You must be Olivia.", she smiled. "I'm Joan – Fitz' younger sister. I've heard _so_ much about you."

"It's nice to finally meet you.", Olivia replied, shaking hands with Fitz' enthusiastic sister. "Fitz mentioned you'd come visit him."

"I couldn't let him move into his new home all by himself."

"Temporary home.", Fitz interrupted. "Hi Liv."

Olivia walked up to him, and while she wanted to greet him with a kiss, she was very much aware of Joan watching them closely. She leaned down and kissed his cheek quickly, blushing despite the innocent little peck. He looked good dressed in jeans and a grey sweater, his messy hair gelled back, his face freshly shaven. Olivia took in the room, and she knew immediately that Fitz would feel more comfortable here than he had in the hospital.

"So, Fitz tells me you were his nurse?"

"Yep. And I am acutely aware of how much of a cliché that is.", Olivia laughed nervously.

"I'm a sucker for a cheesy love story.", Joan teased, immensely satisfied with the blush that colored both Olivia's and Fitz' cheeks.

Her choice of words had not gone unnoticed by either one of them, but neither cared to correct her. Fitz held his breath for a moment, almost expecting Olivia to say something. Instead, she stayed just as quiet as he was, and when she looked at him, they shared a smile.

"We're planning on getting Fitz out of here for a nice dinner when my family gets here. I'd love it if you could join us."

"I'm not working for the next few days, so I'd really like that.", Olivia replied, although she was already feeling anxious about meeting more of Fitz' family members.

"Great! Well, I'm going to go and get settled in. I have to call my girls anyway or they'll be mad at me."

"Tell them that I can't wait to see them.", Fitz said with a smile.

"I will.", Joan replied. "They haven't talked about anything but their Uncle Fitz for a week now."

Olivia watched as Fitz' sister hugged him tightly. Despite her joyful attitude, she was clearly struggling with Fitz injury. It was obvious in the way she held him like she was afraid he'd slip away, and by how she had to compose herself once she released him from their embrace.

"I'm really looking forward to getting to know you better, Olivia.", Joan said as she hugged her as well.

"Me too.", Olivia smiled, moved by how warmly Joan had welcomed her. "I can't wait to meet those little girls Fitz always talks about."

Joan left, and when the door closed behind her, Olivia smiled brightly at Fitz.

"She's a sweetheart, Fitz."

"Yeah, she really is. Sometimes, she's quite the handful, always was, but I would not change it for anything. So many people barely talk to their siblings, I'm so lucky to have a sister like Joan."

The way he talked about his little sister almost made Olivia jealous, because she'd never been lucky enough to have a sibling. She'd never had to share a toy or her parent's attention with another child, but she'd also never had anyone to share the tough times with. When her mother had passed, Olivia had cried herself to sleep alone every night, and when her father had sent her off to boarding school, she'd gone by herself as well. She envied Fitz and Joan, but she was happy that he had such a wonderful support system, especially now.

"What do you think of my new loft.", he grinned. "Fancy, huh?"

"Gorgeous. I especially love the faded couch.", Olivia teased. "You're not going to want to hang out with me now that you've moved up."

"You're ridiculous.", Fitz laughed. "Come here."

Olivia went to stand in front of him, and before she could protest he had pulled her down to sit on his lap.

"Fitz!", she squealed. "I'm going to crush you."

"Yeah, your 50 pounds are going to damage my incredibly healthy legs."

"Do we really need to risk it?", Olivia chastised him.

"Definitely.", Fitz grinned wickedly. "I'm totally willing to risk a little bit of pain and suffering for some Olivia Pope time."

"Olivia Pope time, huh?"

"Yep. It's my favorite time of the day."

She smiled at him, his good mood and the way she was snuggled into him a sure way to make her happy. When his eyes wandered from her own down to her lips and his hands tightened on her waist, Olivia's heartbeat was already beginning to speed up. She knew what was about to happen, but that didn't stop the delighted gasp that escaped her when Fitz' lips found hers. Their kiss was slow and intimate – the kind of kiss you shared with someone that you had been kissing for a very long time, even though it was only their second moment of such profound intimacy. This time around, Fitz broke away from her first, grinning proudly when she bit her lip as if she was trying to stop herself from smiling too widely.

"I asked the lady that showed me around today if I could have overnight visitors here."

"Yeah?", Olivia asked, immediately very much aware of where he was going with his statement.

"I am allowed to let close family members and significant others stay for a night, as long as it's not more than one person at a time, and only on weekends when there are no treatments to be done the next morning.", Fitz explained. "They even put a second bed in here if I ask ahead of time."

"Fitz…", Olivia sighed.

"I know.", he stopped her, his fingers drawing invisible circles against her hips. "There's no pressure, just think about it, okay?"

"Okay."


	9. Chapter 8

_Thanks for the love! Enjoy. _

~ Chapter 8 ~

Olivia was so nervous about having dinner with Fitz's family that she had changed her outfit four times already. She was still debating whether she should stick with the current one. Fitz had informed her that it would be a casual dinner at a restaurant that she was familiar with. She had seen him once in the three days that had passed since meeting his sister, and she couldn't quite decide if her nerves were the result of meeting more of his family, or if she was simply reacting to the prospect of getting to spend time with Fitz again. With a huff, Olivia finally decided that her black, tight jeans and the cream-colored blouse would be good enough paired with her favorite boots. She grabbed her coat, wrapped a thick, black scarf around her neck, and hurried out the door to meet them at the restaurant.

When she made it there, Fitz was just arriving, and they entered the restaurant together. Although he was dressed appropriately casual as well, it was the first time Olivia got to see him in a fitted button-down shirt. He looked every bit the classy man that he was. They heard the high-pitched screeches of a little girl before they saw her, and when a tiny body suddenly slammed into Fitz's legs, Olivia had to laugh.

At five years old, Hannah was the mini-me copy of her mother. Her dirty blond hair was styled into two perfectly even braids, and a big, purple flower headband completed the look. Her dress was the same shade of purple, and her white cardigan was slipping off her little shoulders. When she smiled up at her uncle, the missing tooth made her look even more adorable.

"Oh my goodness, Hannah, someone stole your tooth! We need to call the police.", Fitz teased, pulling the little girl up to sit on his lap.

"No, silly!", she giggled. "I lost it and got three dollars and twenty-five cents from the tooth fairy!"

"No way! It must have been pretty shiny if you got that much money for it."

"Yep.", she nodded her head enthusiastically. "I brush twice a day. Or once if mommy isn't home and daddy doesn't remember to make me brush them."

Olivia's heart melted at the sight of Fitz interacting with his oldest niece. He was a natural, every move he made and every word he spoke carefully chosen to make sure the little girl on his lap was smiling. She watched him kiss Hannah's forehead when she snuggled into him.

"Mommy said your legs are broken, kind of like your arm.", she said. "But because your legs are much bigger than an arm, you can't have a cast for them, so you have to sit in a wheelchair until they're all better, right?"

"Right.", Fitz agreed, his smile only faltering for a brief moment.

He didn't dare tell the little girl that his legs might not ever heal, and he was glad that his sister had sugarcoated his injuries in front of her daughters. A tiny little voice brought him out of his thoughts.

"Hi, Uncle Fitz."

"Hi, sweetheart.", he smiled, the look on his face changing to something Olivia had never seen before.

She looked on as Hannah slid off his lap and ran back to the table where her parents were seated, watching as their children greeted Fitz. Three year old Sophia stood in front of her uncle shyly, waiting for him to lift her up onto his leg like he'd done to her older sister just moments ago. When he did, she snuggled into him immediately, but didn't say anything.

Although the little girl had blonde hair as well, she didn't look quite as much like her mother. A sparkly butterfly clip was keeping her wild curls out of her face, and her dress was the lightest shade of pink. She looked like a little doll with her perfectly smooth, pale skin.

"I miss you.", she whispered into her uncle's chest, and Olivia could feel tears welling in her eyes when Fitz sighed heavily.

"I missed you, too, angel.", Fitz mumbled into her hair. "There's someone I want you to meet."

She turned her head and shyly looked up to Olivia, waving her hand wordlessly.

"Hi, Sophia.", Olivia smiled, kneeling down so she could shake the girl's hand. "My name is Olivia. It's nice to meet you."

The little girl didn't respond, instead she reached out her hand and touched Olivia's hair tentatively. A small smile touched her pouty lips.

"You're pretty."

"Thank you.", Olivia gushed. "You're very pretty too. I love the butterfly."

Sophia touched the clip in her hair, her smile now wider.

"Got it from my mommy."

"She has very good taste, then. You look like a beautiful little princess."

Fitz watched as Sophia craned her neck to look up at him, smiling proudly at Olivia's compliment. In the world of a three year old, there was nothing quite like being called a princess. The trio joined the rest of Fitz's family at their table, and soon, good food and laughter filled the room. Hannah talked enough for all of them, a cheeky grin constantly lighting up her face. She was an animated child, full of stories and silly anecdotes. Olivia loved watching Fitz interact with her. He was goofy and almost childlike himself, and the young girl clearly enjoyed her uncle's attention and his sense of humor.

They had just ordered dessert when a tiny hand tucked on Olivia's shirt sleeve. She looked down into the big, blue eyes of Fitz's youngest niece who hadn't spoken nearly as much as her sister throughout the meal. The girl was holding a small coloring book and a couple of crayons in her hand, and she was biting her lip bashfully.

"You okay, sweetie?", Olivia asked gently.

"Can you help me?", Sophia asked in return, thrusting her coloring book into Olivia's hands.

"I would love to."

Olivia had been watching the toddler all through dinner. With her tongue sticking out between her lips, Sophia had alternated between eating small bites of pasta, coloring in her Disney princess coloring book, and watching Fitz and Olivia intently. She'd wanted to approach the girl, but at the same time she wanted to wait for Sophia to warm up to her on her own. Now the sweet child was sitting on her lap, wiggling to get comfortable. When she had found the perfect spot, she handed Olivia a yellow crayon wordlessly and began coloring the picture from a scene of Aladdin.

Fitz watched as two of his favorite women bonded over a bunch of colorful crayons. His heart began to race as he imagined Olivia holding a different child – a little girl with dark curls and brown eyes, or a little boy with his mother's sense of humor. He imagined her pregnant, decorating the nursery in soft pastel colors. Her eyes wandered between the picture and the tiny child who was taking working on it very seriously. Sophia smelled of strawberry shampoo and baby lotion, and Olivia couldn't help but fall in love with the child when she huffed exaggeratedly every time she accidently colored outside of the lines.

"Miss Olivia?", Hannah interrupted the quiet moment. "Are you Uncle Fitz's girlfriend?"

"Hannah Grace!", her father scolded. "We don't ask people questions like that."

"But why not though, daddy?", she whined. "Uncle Fitz looks at Olivia just like you look at mommy when she makes you coffee in the morning, but she don't have a ring on her finger like mommy does. So I know she didn't marry Uncle Fitz yet. That means she has to be his girlfriend. Like Jimmy in school who's boyfriend and girlfriend with Alaina. Yuck."

The four adults at the table had turned beet red, but nobody was blushing more furiously than Fitz. He knew he should be answering his niece, but he couldn't find the right words to explain the state of his relationship with Olivia to a five year old, when he couldn't even explain it to himself.

"Your Uncle Fitz is a very good friend, Hannah.", Olivia explained cautiously.

"I know.", the young girl replied and rolled her eyes exaggeratedly. "But does he give you kisses? Not mommy kisses but, like, real ones? Because then he's your boyfriend."

"Oh my goodness.", Joan mumbled, mortified. "What do you know about real kisses, Hannah?"

The girl shrugged sheepishly, a cheeky smile playing on her lips: "You give daddy real ones. And they're really gross."

The group was quiet except for the insistent giggles of the five year old who had managed to singlehandedly embarrass a table full of adults. Fitz's eyes dropped to Sophia who had observed the exchange quietly, the same way she seemed to approach every task. The toddler had twisted in Olivia's lap, one tiny hand playing with the buttons on her blouse absentmindedly while the other one was still holding a crayon firmly.

"Uncle Fitz?", she questioned with a deep sigh, like the weight of the world was resting on her skinny little shoulders. "Do you like 'Livia?"

"I do.", Fitz replied quietly, his eyes wandering from his youngest niece up to meet Olivia's gaze. "I like her very much."

"Okay.", Sophia responded. "I like her too."

The group left the restaurant shortly after. Sophia had begun to slowly fall asleep in Olivia's arms, so they had all decided it was best to call it a night and head home. Joan had offered to call the van service provided by the rehab center to pick up Fitz, but – together with Olivia – he had decided that he would be able to maneuver himself into her car so that she could take him back to his temporary home. They said their goodbyes, and when Olivia watched Fitz's little nieces plant sloppy kisses on his cheeks, she knew he'd remember that moment for days, and smile about it over and over again.

When they pulled into the parking lot, Olivia shut off the car and turned to face Fitz.

"Your family is fantastic, Fitz. Those little girls are… amazing."

"They are, aren't they?", he gushed. "I love Hannah's spunk and her silliness, but I have such a weak spot for Sophia. When she looks at me and hugs me with those skinny little arms, I don't ever want to let her go."

"I know what you mean.", Olivia smiled. "When she was in my arms, I didn't want to let her go either."

"You were great with her, Liv. With both of them. They adore you."

Olivia smiled. It meant so much to her that Fitz's family had welcomed her so warmly, but the fact that the two little girls that he loved so much seemed to like her, truly meant the world to her.

"You're going to make such a wonderful mom someday, Livvie."

She didn't say anything for a long while, simply held the hand Fitz had offered her. After a moment, Olivia mustered up the strength to look at him.

"Do you think it's too late now to ask someone for that second bed in your room?"


	10. Chapter 9

_Thank you for the lovely feedback!_

~ Chapter 9 ~

He hadn't been nervous about having a girl in his room since high school, but now Fitz was anxiously trying to get settled into bed. Olivia had excused herself to the bathroom to change into a t-shirt she had borrowed from him to sleep in. One of the night nurses had signed Olivia in and then helped them push a visitor bed into Fitz's room. She was an older lady, and when she had left the room she'd given Fitz an exaggerated wink and a knowing grin. Now the bed was sitting next to his own – close enough that he could reach it, but with a gap in between that seemed awfully big.

When Olivia emerged from the bathroom, his breath caught. Her wavy hair was tucked behind her ears and she had removed her subtle make-up. Somehow, she looked even younger now, her face bare and absolutely stunning. The shirt Fitz had given her hit her mid-thigh, sufficiently covering her body, but still giving Fitz a torturous look of her smooth legs. Olivia stepped around her bed, and he watched her as she pushed the covers back and fluffed her pillow. Then she simply stood there, biting her full bottom lip, seemingly deep in thought. Fitz realized he was holding his breath, waiting for Olivia to make a decision. With a deep sigh, she finally pushed her bed up against Fitz's, leaving no room in between. He smiled at her encouragingly, and although her own smile was accompanied by a nervous chuckle, Olivia slipped into bed.

They both rested on their backs, Fitz watching the beautiful woman in bed next to him, Olivia staring at the ceiling. After a while, she turned and looked at him, his eyes still bright in the nearly dark room that was only illuminated by the small light she had left on in the bathroom.

"Come here.", Fitz whispered, lifting his blankets so she could join him.

Olivia didn't hesitate. She abandoned her own sheets and curled up under his, her entire body snuggled tightly against Fitz's. His warmth engulfed her immediately, and she sighed contently.

"Fitz?", she asked. "Are we moving too fast?"

"Honestly? I don't know.", Fitz replied. "Sometimes I'm reminded that we've only known each other for a few weeks, but it doesn't feel like it. I truly feel like I've known you all my life, even if I'm still learning new things about you every day."

"I know what you mean.", Olivia nodded against his shoulder where she'd tucked her head. "I feel the same way about you. I guess I'm just scared."

"Why? What are you scared of, Livvie?"

"You. Us. What could be or what might not be. I'm so scared of getting hurt, of almost getting what I've always dreamt of, only to have it taken away from me again."

"Oh sweetheart.", Fitz sighed, shocked by her words. "What happened to you?"

Olivia shrugged her shoulders offhandedly: "It doesn't matter."

"It matters to me. _You_ matter to me."

"About ten years ago, I met a guy.", Olivia began quietly. "Dr. Edison Davis. He worked in the same hospital, and sometimes we'd run into each other in the elevator or the cafeteria. Eventually he asked me out. We dated for a few months, and it was… nice."

"Just nice?", Fitz asked.

"Just nice.", she confirmed. "There was nothing special about being with him. He didn't give me butterflies or any of that stuff you're supposed to feel, but he was a good guy. Boring, yes, but I thought I'd be okay with that. After a year, he asked me to marry him, and I said yes because I thought it was the right thing to do. I had convinced myself that I was happy, and that I would be happy with him for the rest of my life."

Fitz wanted to tell her that she'd been wrong, that she deserved so much more than _just nice_, but he refrained from interrupting her.

"I was content with my life, I guess. He was successful, intelligent, and he took care of me in the best way he knew how to. We'd been engaged for about four months when I started getting sick all the time, and when I finally went to see a doctor, she told me that I was pregnant."

Fitz's breath caught at her admission, but still he said nothing. He simply pulled Olivia closer and kissed her forehead softly. She had begun to cry, he could tell by the way her voice would catch, and be the tiny wet spots that were soaking through his shirt.

"I was excited. I've always wanted to be a mom, and I thought a baby would fulfill me in a way life with Edison never could. God, I was so happy.", Olivia smiled sadly. "When I told Edison, he just looked at me like I was inconveniencing him, and then he told me that it was highly inappropriate to be getting pregnant pre-marriage, like I had done it to myself somehow. He said we'd have to hurry up and get married before people would be able to tell that we were expecting, and then he just left me standing there. No hug, no kiss, nothing. Like I had told him I'd bought a new pair of shoes and not that we were going to be parents."

"He was an idiot, Liv.", Fitz finally said, incredibly angry with a man he didn't even know. "He didn't know how lucky he was to have you carry his child."

"Three weeks later, I lost my baby.", Olivia whispered, her voice broken. "One day I was anxious to find out if I would have a girl or a boy, the next I was mourning the loss of my unborn baby. The doctor said it wasn't anyone's fault, just one of those tragic things that happen, but that didn't make it any easier."

"I'm so sorry.", Fitz mumbled, gently running his fingers through Olivia's hair in hopes that it would calm her down.

"Edison was just as indifferent about the miscarriage as he was about the pregnancy. I left him less than a week later. It's been so long, but it still hurts so much."

"You were so strong to leave him, to handle all of that on your own.", he praised her. "It's why you're scared, isn't it? You're afraid it'll happen to you again."

"Yeah.", Olivia admitted. "Although I've dated other men, I haven't had a serious relationship since him. And I know this – us – is different. We couldn't be anything but serious, and that scares me so much."

"I'm scared too, you know?", he asked her. "I'm scared that I can't be good enough for you, that I will not ever be the man you deserve. I worry that none of this will change, and that I'll always be the guy that can't do everything for his girl that he wants to do."

"Fitz, no.", Olivia stopped him, pushing herself up to look at him. "It's not about that. It doesn't matter to me if you'll walk again or not. Of course I want you to be healthy, but your ability to walk doesn't change the way I feel about you. You are so much more than a guy in a wheelchair. You have to know that."

"And you have to know that you're more than your past, more than what the idiot you almost married made you out to be."

Olivia stared at the man that didn't seem to shy away from her tears. Every so often, a large, gentle hand would come up to wipe her cheeks, allowing her to cry but never letting the tears stain her face for long. He was everything she could have ever dreamt of, and while that scared her nearly senseless, she also realized that if she wanted to finally beat the demons of her past, it would have to be with Fitz. She kissed him softly then, the salty taste of her own tears mixing with the unique flavor that was so very Fitz.

"Okay?", he asked when they broke apart.

"Okay.", she replied, knowing that she had just agreed to be with him, to try and be truly happy for the first time in a very long time.

They sealed their silent agreement with a series of kisses – soft touches at first, then deep, passionate ones that made Olivia's toes curl under the sheets that kept them warm. Fitz allowed his hand to wander slowly up and down her back a few times before he hesitantly slipped it underneath Olivia's shirt. She only froze for a second before she reminded herself that it was okay, that he'd make sure it would be. His fingertips trailed along her spine, and Fitz loved feeling goose bumps quickly rise on her smooth skin. Olivia was bra-less – a discovery that nearly made him moan in anticipation.

Feeling a little more confident now that Fitz's hands were on her bare skin, Olivia let her own hand disappear between the sheets and underneath his shirt. She followed the trail of fine hairs to his bellybutton and up to his muscular chest, watching as his eyes closed with a deep, shuddering sigh. Olivia's movements faltered when Fitz found a sensitive spot behind her ear with his lips. He kissed her there gently at first, then he sucked on the spot and teased it with his tongue. She moaned audibly, her nails digging into his abs. Encouraged by her body's response, Fitz nipped at her neck over and over again, until she was panting softly. Olivia was fighting a losing battle with her own body, and she was reveling in the fact that he already seemed to know her better than any other man ever had. Subconsciously, she draped her leg across his, pulling herself impossibly close to him.

"Livvie…", he breathed into her ear, every part of him wanting – needing – to please the woman in his arms.

Fitz's fingers trailed along her ribcage, and although Olivia knew it was bound to happen, she still released a surprised gasp when his large hand suddenly cupped her breast. He palmed her carefully, guided by the way she pushed herself against him. Finding his lips with her own, Olivia kissed him passionately to muffle the desperate moans he was evoking within her. In the heat of the moment, her knee bumped against his growing member, causing them both to look up quickly. Fitz was staring at her, eyes wide and dark. Neither one of them moved for a moment, then Olivia pushed her leg against the thin material of his boxer shorts again. He groaned and it sounded like a desperate rumble deep in his chest.

"I… I wasn't sure if… whether you would…", she whispered breathily.

"I wasn't either.", Fitz interrupted.

He'd feared this moment and expected it to be awkward at best, but now that they'd reached this point, it was nothing like he had imagined. Fitz had known that he would respond to intimacy with Olivia on an emotional level, but he couldn't have been sure that his body would play along as well. But now she was stimulating him with the most subtle of touches, and he could feel himself grow harder with every careful contact Olivia provided. To Olivia, he'd never been more beautiful than he was in this moment as he realized he would be able to connect with her in every sense of the word.

"What do you want?", she breathed, the answer already clear as he dragged her shirt up her body, uncovering her slowly.

"You."


	11. Chapter 10

_Your reviews made me grin. Thank you! Reminder: This story is rated __M._

~ Chapter 10 ~

She was, without a doubt, the most incredibly beautiful woman he had ever seen. With her shirt thrown to the floor, Olivia was straddling his lap in nothing but a pair of sinfully thin lace panties. Fitz was painfully hard, no longer doubting his ability to have an erection. Sitting high on his thighs, Olivia was just far enough away to avoid touching his member, but close enough for him to feel the heat radiating off her aroused body. He sat up so Olivia could help him remove his shirt, and when she did, it quickly joined her own on the floor. Her eyes wander over his muscular, beautifully shaped torso, the broad shoulders, and strong arms. Fitz was acutely aware of her hungry gaze and slightly nervous about it. He hadn't worked out in weeks, and he knew that he was far from in good shape at the moment. But the way Olivia bit her lip as she explored every inch of him with her hands reminded him that this wasn't about being perfect. This wasn't an audition, and Olivia wasn't a woman that he needed to impress with his looks, he knew that now. With her, it was about much more than that, which was equally as calming as it was terrifying.

Fitz held her firmly with both of his hands, his large palms easily covering the expanse of her slender waist. Painfully slowly, he worked them up her sides, until his thumbs were caressing the underside of her firm breasts. Olivia didn't dare move, but when he circled her nipples with his talented fingers for the first time, her body jerked involuntarily. Like small, hard pebbles her dark nipples rose to stiff peaks against his fingers, and Fitz watched in fascination as her body slowly began to come apart in his arms. He bit her neck playfully, then left a wet, hot trail of kisses along her clavicle and down to her breast. Olivia threw her head back with a loud moan when he pulled the first nipple into his mouth, only leaving it to pay the same attention to her other breast. She hadn't realized that she was rocking herself steadily against his erection until he released her breast with a deep growl.

"Baby… you need to stop.", Fitz groaned into her ear, stilling her movements with his strong hands.

Olivia bit her lip bashfully, her face flushed and her eyes alive and wild with lust. His hands were moving lower, until Fitz was palming the round, smooth globes of her perfect little ass. She loved the way he was touching her – every grip nearly forceful in its intensity, but never painful.

"I want these off.", he breathed, and Olivia didn't hesitate to raise herself off his lap enough to pull her wet panties down her legs.

Waiting for him to nod his head when she looked at him questioningly, Olivia helped him remove his underwear as well. Both completely naked, they stared at each other. His arousal was far more obvious than hers at first sight, but when Fitz pulled her up to straddle his stomach, he could feel the evidence of her own lust. She was incredibly warm and wet, and all of the sudden she was all he could see, hear, and smell.

Fitz felt like he was drowning in the breathtaking experience that was Olivia Pope. She smelled of coconut scented shampoo, a soft nuance of perfume, and erotic arousal. Every small pant, gasp, and moan was like music to his ears, and whenever she said his name with her raspy, sex-drenched voice, Fitz had to stop himself from taking her hard and fast. Her eyes were black like strong coffee, and a thin layer of sweat made her body glisten. She was an absolute vision, one that he'd never be able to get enough off.

Olivia pushed him back gently, until he was resting propped up on his pillow, and she was in control above him. Although she clearly had the upper hand, it didn't feel like it. Instead, Olivia marveled at the give-and-take of their foreplay, how every single one of his actions seemed to evoke a perfectly timed reaction in her, like they'd been making love for years. She wiggled herself lower, until her womanhood slipped along his rigid member, causing Fitz to moan desperately. His hands tightened around her hips, and she knew he'd leave fingertip-sized love marks on her body.

"Do we need… protection?", he asked, afraid they'd have to stop because he wasn't sufficiently prepared for the possibility of sex. "I don't have any…"

"I'm on birth control.", Olivia interrupted. "If it's okay with you we can just… you know."

"That's more than okay.", Fitz smiled, because he couldn't imagine anything better than being with her without anything separating their bodies.

She nodded her head, relieved that they wouldn't have to stop here.

"It's… been a while.", Olivia blushed sheepishly, suddenly acutely aware of her lack of sexual experiences in the past year or so.

"Don't worry.", he soothed her. "It's been a pretty long time for me too."

The thought that they were equally nervous made Olivia relax a little. She pushed her pelvis into him, the delicious friction making them both moan. He guided the gentle thrusts of her hips with his hands for a moment, before he moved his fingers between her thighs. The way Olivia threw her head back when he touched her clit drove Fitz crazy with want. Nestled between the smooth lips of her sex, the small, swollen pearl was throbbing against the tip of his finger. He rubbed it with his thumb, drawing lazy circles around it, before he moved along her wet slit, greedily coating his fingers with Olivia's essence.

"Fitz…", she moaned. "Please…"

The way she begged for him broke the small bit of restraint he had left. Fitz lifted her, enough so his large erection fit between their bodies, and then helped her to lower herself onto his cock. Olivia took a few glorious inches before he stopped her with gentle but firm hands. The look on her face was that of a woman who was walking the fine line between pain and pleasure, and Fitz didn't want her to feel anything but amazing for even a second.

"Easy, baby.", he breathed, even though it was difficult to hold back when she was such an incredibly tight fit.

Olivia tried to catch her breath, opening her eyes for the first time since their bodies had joined. She knew she would never forget the way Fitz looked at the very moment, with his ears bright red and his mouth agape. He was beautiful and sexy, and oh-so very manly. Digging her nails into his solid chest, Olivia pushed down on him, ignoring the slight pain in favor of the indescribable feeling of having him inside of her completely. Her tight walls pulsed around him, gripping him as if she never wanted to let him go. Fitz stayed completely still, using the moment that she needed to adjust to his size to get used to the different abilities and inabilities of his body. He had been so afraid that not having control of his legs would limit him severely, but as Olivia stretched around him slowly, he realized that it wouldn't matter.

Suddenly she wasn't close enough, and Fitz felt the need to have every inch of her touching him. He pushed himself up, wrapping his arms around her tightly in the process. His unexpected move caused him to push up into her willing body even deeper, and Olivia's head dropped to his shoulder with a strangled gasp.

"Oh God."

"Livvie, please.", Fitz moaned desperately. "Baby please move."

Olivia rode him slowly, allowing only a couple of inches of his member to leave her body before she pushed back down, engulfing him in her tight heat. They were clinging to each other, no space between their sweaty bodies. Every time she moved, his soft chest hair tickled her sensitive nipples, adding to the onslaught of sensations and emotions that she was experiencing. Fitz felt her tug on his hair and scratch his back, and he realized that he couldn't wait to have her marks on his body, to feel the delicious pain of her nails on his skin the next morning.

For a long time, Fitz let her guide them, allowing Olivia to decide the pace and the intensity of their love making. He alternated between nibbling on her kiss-swollen lips and marking the sweet spot just below her ear with his teeth. They had fallen into a delicious rhythm when he grabbed Olivia's hips and pulled her up so far that he almost slipped out of her. She stared at him, wide-eyed, and watched as a naughty smirk formed on his lips. Before she could question it, Fitz pulled her down on his cock roughly, and she screamed before he silenced her with an equally hard kiss. Fitz guided a few more of her thrusts with his hands before he let her take over, cursing under his breath when she began to ride him hard and fast.

Olivia's vision became blurry as she slammed down on his thick cock over and over again. She'd never been one to take charge in the bedroom, but what had worried her at first was now turning into her sexual fantasy come true. He was spurring her on with his heavy pants that bounced off her over-sensitized skin and with his large hands that seemed to cover every inch of her all at once. Fitz's hand had snug between their bodies, and the moment it reached her throbbing clit, she knew she was done.

"That's it, Livvie.", he encouraged her. "Let go for me."

He was whispering into her ear how hot she was, how beautiful and sexy, and how much he loved how tight she was for him. He told her to go faster, to come apart in his arms, and all she could do was give herself to him.

Fitz felt her orgasm approach when she grew nearly impossibly tight around him, and he had to concentrate so he wouldn't cum before she did. Suddenly Olivia's breath left her in form of a soundless scream, and her body slumped into his arms, shaking violently. He held her tightly as she rode out the waves of her orgasm, but before she could calm, Fitz groaned her name and came, spilling himself into her over and over again.

She'd never experienced a man's release so strongly, and she nearly sobbed at the emotional and physical intensity of feeling Fitz cum inside of her. He was almost crushing her with his tight hold, but Olivia didn't care, wanted to be as close as possible to him. When Fitz let himself fall back against his pillow, he pulled Olivia's tired body with him, never breaking their intimate connection. He brought the blanket up with them, wrapping them both into a warm cocoon. They tried to catch their breaths, both of them slowly calming down as Fitz stroked her back lovingly.

After long minutes that were filled with comfortable silence, Olivia lifted her head just enough to be able to look into Fitz's eyes. When their gazes met, he knew that he'd already fallen in love.


	12. Chapter 11

_I'm so glad everyone seemed to enjoy the last chapter. Updates are going to be a bit slow this week because I will be traveling. I apologize for that, and I am hoping to be back on track next week. _

~ Chapter 11 ~

Olivia woke up to the feeling of Fitz's fingers dancing up and down her spine like he was playing the piano in the softest of ways. She did not announce that she was awake, but rather kept her eyes closed tightly, enjoying the moment. His heartbeat was strong and steady beneath her ear, and Olivia knew she could easily get used to the soothing sensations Fitz provided.

Their night together had been a first for both of them on many levels. While Fitz and Olivia each had experienced their fair share of lovers ranging from one night stands to long-lasting relationships, sex – and all that it entailed – had never been quite like the night before for either one of them. Olivia's mind was whisked away by the countless mental images that it had stored away – the kissing, the quiet words of encouragement, the breathy moans, the finger imprints, and love bites – and she felt dizzy. There was so much Fitz had been able to do to her despite his physical issues, and she couldn't begin to imagine how having full control of his body could make him an even better lover, when he was already tending to her every need in ways that Olivia had only ever dreamt of.

"Good morning.", Fitz mumbled into her messy hair.

"How'd you know I am awake?"

"The snoring finally stopped."

"I do not snore!", Olivia complained, giggling.

She pushed herself up just enough to stick her tongue out at him before curling against his body once more. The low rumble of Fitz's laughter made her grin, and the small moment of silliness was one of complete bliss to her. He cupped her cheek so she would look at him, and when she did, Fitz kissed her slowly and deeply, like they'd been deprived of each other for weeks, not mere hours. The kiss burned her insides just like the sex had done, because Fitz kissed like he made love: deeply, passionately, and with everything he had. When he'd turned her sufficiently breathless, Fitz broke the kiss and watched her bite her swollen lips. Olivia wrapped her arms more tightly around Fitz, the early morning chill clinging to her naked body. She sighed happily, because there was nothing quite like waking up with a good-morning-kiss like that. Her leg was thrown across his, and Olivia moved her foot against his skin to warm it.

"Your feet are freezing, Livvie.", Fitz groaned.

"Mh.", she mumbled in return, making no move slip away from him.

A beat passed in silence, then Olivia shot up from under the covers, her eyes wide like she'd seen a ghost.

"Liv, what's wrong?"

"Say it again."

"Say what again?", Fitz asked confused, sitting up as well and grabbing her shoulders. "What's going on?"

"My… my feet…", she stuttered. "Say it again."

"Your feet are freezing.", he repeated, and Olivia could pinpoint the exact moment when realization hit him. "Oh my God."

Fitz pushed the sheets off of them, the cold of the room suddenly forgotten. He stared at his legs, like he expected something to look different all of the sudden, then he looked back to Olivia. For the first time since his accident, Fitz had clearly felt the change of temperature against his leg that usually no longer detected hot and cold, touch and movement. The feeling of Olivia's icy feet running along his legs was engrained in his memory, and his heart was beating so fast that it almost made him feel sick to his stomach.

"You… you really felt them?", Olivia asked.

"I don't know.", Fitz admitted honestly. "I think I did. I… I don't know, Liv."

Olivia touched his left thigh carefully, and when Fitz didn't react, she touched the right one as well. He didn't flinch, and she knew he had not felt the touch of her hand. She was terrified that it had been nothing more than a coincidence, that maybe he'd known subconsciously that her feet must have been cold – that he didn't actually _feel_ it.

Fitz was beginning to panic, afraid that his imagination was running wild, that he was losing his mind. He watched as Olivia stimulated his thighs slowly and methodically, working her hands up to his hips and back down to his knees over and over again. He felt absolutely nothing. After a while, he grabbed her hands to stop her, but Olivia shook him off.

"I'm not done.", she hissed, immediately regretting the tone she'd taken with him. "I'm sorry. Just… please let me do this."

She continued to rub his legs, alternating between using just the tips of her fingers and her entire hand. With every inch she covered unsuccessfully, Olivia grew more frustrated. Angry tears formed in her eyes, and she pushed her palms into his legs more roughly, hoping he'd feel something, anything.

"Livvie…", he tried to stop her again, but she simply waved him off.

To Fitz, the look on her face was almost more devastating than the fact that it seemed like he hadn't actually felt anything after all. He wished he would have kept his mouth shut, so they could have stayed in the happy bubble that had surrounded them upon waking up. Instead, Olivia was close to tears and Fitz felt like he was failing her once again.

"There!", he nearly yelled when the pressure of her fingers registered low on his leg. "Liv, right there!"

She pushed again, kneading the flesh like she was giving him a massage.

"I feel it. I feel your hand.", Fitz whispered, like he could hardly believe his own words. "It's faint, but it's definitely there."

This time, her tears spilled over, and Olivia covered her mouth with her hand so he wouldn't hear that sob that escaped her. This – Fitz being able to feel something again – was all she'd wanted for him from the moment they'd met. She still remembered the sadness in his eyes so very clearly, and although it had gotten less, it never quite went away. Olivia was already picturing what he'd look like walking, standing, running, with his tall frame towering over her. Deep down, she knew she was getting ahead of herself, but she couldn't help but imagine a future where Fitz wouldn't be bound to the wheelchair he despised so much.

"I'm going to call the nurse so we can get a doctor to see you.", Olivia said, already on her way out of the bed.

"Wait.", he stopped her. "Just… I need one minute with you before doctors and nurses will be running tests on me all day. I'm not ready to find out what they have to say."

"Fitz… you are going to walk again. I know you will."

To emphasize her words, Olivia squeezed his leg. She smiled at him encouragingly, and Fitz returned her smile, thankful that she was there with him, because he couldn't have imagined sharing the moment with anyone else. Leaning into his chest, Olivia pulled the sheet up with her, remembering that they were both still naked after all. She relaxed in his arms and allowed them both a minute before the insanity of the day would begin.

"It's going to get harder now than it has been.", Olivia spoke after a moment. "When the feeling returns to your legs, they're going to work you hard to get you to walk again."

"I've seen a couple people downstairs that are already at that stage.", he explained. "They look exhausted by the time they've completed their daily regimen of physical therapy."

"It's going to be worth it in the end, when you walk out of here on your own two feet."

"When you come pick me up and take me home with you.", Fitz added, peering down at her.

She smiled: "When I take you home with me."

"You don't have any regrets about last night, right?"

"None at all.", Olivia replied immediately.

When she thought about it, she realized that the mornings after had often been filled with regret for her. Regrets over a one night stand that would never be more, regrets over giving herself up to someone too soon, or – in a few cases – regrets over sleeping with someone at all, when they clearly hadn't deserved her time, much less her mind and body. But with Fitz, it was different. Everything felt just right – the pace of their relationship, the way their first time together had happened, and the promise of a future together. Olivia felt good after her first night with Fitz, and she was physically and mentally satisfied.

"How 'bout you, Fitz?"

"The only thing I regret is that I couldn't make this better for you. I wanted to do this in my bed and in my home, where I could make you breakfast in the morning."

"Fitz…", she sighed. "It was perfect. I wouldn't change it for the world."

He kissed her again after her admission, because she sounded so sincere that he couldn't help but believe her. They stayed in bed together for another ten minutes, cuddling, talking, and kissing. Olivia knew that he was buying time because he was worried about what the doctors would say, so she sat with him until Fitz nodded his head firmly.

"We should get dressed and call the nurse."

"We should."

Olivia dressed first and then handed him his clothes. She left him to get himself ready and used the bathroom in the meantime. Her hair was messy, so she pulled it back into a tight bun, then checked her exposed neck for any signs of love marks. There was a tiny, barely noticeable darkening spot just below her ear, and Olivia grinned. She'd wear her scarf on the way home anyway, and then she'd cover it with make-up before work.

Fitz was dressed and already in his wheelchair when she returned to the bedroom. They shared a look and Olivia reached for the phone.

"Ready?"


	13. Chapter 12

_This chapter was going somewhere, then somehow I got a little side-tracked. This is the result. Oops. Hope you enjoy!_

~ Chapter 12 ~

When Olivia finally made it back to the rehabilitation center after her shift in the ICU, Fitz wasn't in his room. He'd texted her earlier that he was waiting to see his doctor, but then an accident victim, a guy with a stroke, and a young woman with internal bleeding had crowded the ICU and taken up all of Olivia's time. She hadn't been able to check her phone again until after the end of her shift, and although there was a missed call from Fitz, he had not left a message. Without stopping at home, she had driven straight to the clinic, cursing the pesky late afternoon traffic the entire time. Pacing the expanse of the small room a total of sixteen times, Olivia finally decided to go find someone who could tell her when Fitz would return from what she assumed must be his daily afternoon session with the physical therapists. When she opened the door, Fitz was on the other side of it.

"Fitz!", she exclaimed. "I was just about to ask when you'd be back."

He grinned: "I'll be walking in a week."

Olivia stared at him, wide-eyed and confused.

"Well, not a week. But I did get good news today."

She watched him wheel passed her, and when he reached the loveseat, Fitz carefully transferred himself onto it. He signaled for Olivia to join him, so she quickly closed the door. On the couch, she kicked off her boots and tucked her feet under the small pillow.

"Tell me what they said today."

"The doctor spent some time checking for the exact location of where I was able to feel touch first, and I can pretty much feel what I felt when you touched me this morning. During physical therapy earlier I thought I felt something on my foot too, but I'm not quite sure about that.", Fitz explained. "He sent me to get some scans done, and apparently the surgery they performed right after the accident is helping after all."

"Fitz, that's amazing news." Olivia smiled.

She'd scooted closer and grabbed his hand. His eyes were shining brightly, and Olivia knew that maybe for the first time since his accident, he could truly believe that he could get better.

"Apparently it's kind of impossible to tell at this point how quickly I will regain control over my legs, and they don't know if I will ever have full use of them, but my doctor said that this is definitely a very good sign. They already upped the frequency and difficulty of my physical therapy, and we're going to be working on building up the muscle in my legs. If I am lucky, I may learn how to walk again at some point."

"You'll need to be patient.", Olivia said. "I know that's going to be hard, especially now that you're seeing some progress, but you need to promise me that you will not push yourself harder than necessary."

"Don't worry. I'm going to do whatever they tell me to do. I want to walk again, Liv."

"You will."

"You know, when I look at others down there, I always think 'It doesn't look like they're doing much.', but when I'm done after an hour, I'm exhausted.", Fitz sighed. "I used to be fit."

"You still are. But you had surgery and a bunch of different injuries on top of your spinal cord injury, so you can't expect too much too soon. You still look pretty fit."

He grinned at her then, flattered by her compliment.

"Yeah?"

Olivia giggled, a blush rising to her cheeks.

"You seemed pretty fit last night.", she mumbled, obviously embarrassed by her own words.

"You did all the… hard work.". Fitz replied.

He enjoyed teasing her, loved the way she would get flustered. Fitz pulled her in for a kiss, and what started as a sweet peck, quickly turned into a deep kiss. Olivia traced his upper lip with her tongue, and he opened his mouth for her. After a while, Fitz pushed her gently until Olivia understood his intentions and scooted back to lie on her back. Fitz placed his hands on either side of her head and hovered above her. They both knew that they wouldn't be able to do much in this position, because Fitz had to place almost all of his weight on his uninjured arm, and the lower half of his body wouldn't be able to support him. Still, Olivia knew that he needed this – needed to be the man in charge for a moment. But she also knew that _she_ needed this.

The sight of him made her breath catch in her throat. He was towering above her, the muscles in his arms straining against his shirt. The vein in Fitz' neck was pulsing from both arousal and the strength it took him to hold himself up. But what captivated Olivia the most were his eyes. Dark blue and so full of lust for her, that she felt herself getting lost in them. She slipped her hands under his arms and around his shoulders, pulling him down gently.

"Come here."

Fitz allowed her to pull him closer, and he readjusted himself to rest on his elbows. She scratched the back of his neck and head gently and rhythmically, until he was nearly purring against her neck. Fitz bit her earlobe, and she laughed breathily.

"I wish I could take you like that.", he growled when Olivia wrapped one leg around his hip loosely.

"Soon.", she whispered, heat pooling low in her belly.

Olivia helped him sit up and stripped him off his shirt before he settled against the back of the couch. His erection was straining against his pants, and she trailed her fingertips along its outline playfully.

"Livvie…", he warned. "You drive me crazy."

She stood and peeled the rest of his clothes off until he was completely naked in front of her. His cock was hard, twitching against his stomach with every ragged breath he took. Olivia was still completely dressed, yet she felt exposed to Fitz's hungry gaze.

"Take off your clothes.", Fitz breathed, his hands fisting the couch cushions so he wouldn't touch himself.

Painfully slowly, Olivia began to strip. When she was down to her lingerie, Fitz could hardly contain his need for her. To his surprise, she was wearing a bright red lace bra with a thong that matched and hardly covered her at all. Her full breasts were threatening to spill over the low-cut cups of the bra, and she looked like something out of a naughty dream.

"Fuck.", he groaned, and Olivia felt victorious.

It should have been too early in their relationship for her to feel so comfortable around him, but when she had dressed that morning, it had been with the sole purpose to blow his mind later. Olivia had purchased the lingerie on a whim months ago, but never wore the delicate lace. The color was much brighter than what she'd normally choose, and neither the bra nor the panties covered much of anything. But with Fitz, the color matched the way she felt inside: Like her body was constantly on fire.

"Turn around.", he commanded, and Olivia only hesitated for a second before she turned to face away from him.

Fitz grabbed her by the hips and pulled her back to stand between his legs. He leaned forward and kissed his way down her spine, until he reached her perfectly shaped ass. He kneaded the flesh until he pushed back against him impatiently, and with a low growl, Fitz leaned down and kissed the full cheek before nipping on her soft skin there.

"Fitz!", Olivia moaned as his teeth sunk into her flesh softly.

Nobody had ever been so forward in his advances on her body before. Olivia knew she would experience things with him that she had never done with any other men. Fitz trailed his fingers along the flimsy lace before dipping them into the front of her panties. She was wet and warm and ready to be played with. Olivia's legs buckled, and he wrapped one arm around her waist to hold her up.

"You soaked your pretty panties, baby.", he teased, his voice deep and full of sex.

"Take them off.", Olivia begged, unashamed.

"Is that want you want?"

"Yes!"

Fitz pulled them down with his teeth and she assisted him, ready to lose the thin barrier between their bodies. He played her swollen clit like a piano, and within minutes Olivia was rocking her hips, begging him for more. Fitz's was painfully hard, and the sight of her ass swaying in front of his eyes as he fingered her with powerful strokes was almost too much. He spun her around and looked up into her glassy eyes. Her wetness was coating the insides of her thighs, and she smelled of lust and sex and _Livvie_. Suddenly Fitz couldn't seem to concentrate on anything but the urge to taste Olivia. His eyes didn't leave hers as he leaned forward, closing his mouth around her clit and sucking softly.

"Oh my God, Fitz!", she mewled.

"You taste so fucking good."

He licked, nipped, and sucked on her until Olivia was panting, pulling at his hair as her hips rocked against his face. She made him feel powerful and powerless all at the same time, and he was flying higher and higher with every part of her she gave to him. Her essence was coating his lips, and he knew she'd be all he'd be able to smell and taste for days to come. Several times Olivia's legs threatened to give out, but he held her up and ate away at her sweet center until she screamed and came, spilling herself into his mouth.

Fitz caught her when she fell forward, pulling her against him so she'd straddle his lap. He couldn't wait, couldn't give her time to recover. His need for her was too great, so he lifted Olivia's exhausted body just enough to slip his cock into her. She cried out, the noise she made something between a sob and a deep moan.

"I've got you.", Fitz soothed, straining to hold back for her sake. "I've got you. You're mine."


	14. Chapter 13

_Enjoy and please let me know what you think!_

~ Chapter 13 ~

They were tucked under a blanket on the too-small couch, quietly basking in the afterglow of their love making. Fitz had insisted that she occupied the cozy spot between the back of the loveseat and his warm body, and with Olivia draped almost completely across his chest, they almost fit into the confined space. She had taken to mapping out his muscular chest, and Fitz wasn't quite sure if she even realized what she was doing. It was too early to go to sleep – they hadn't even eaten yet after all – but Fitz enjoyed relaxing with her nonetheless.

"You're naughty…", Olivia mumbled after a while, totally out of the blue.

"What'd I do?", he chuckled.

"What _didn't_ you do?", she countered, and he didn't need to see her face to know that she was blushing.

"You'll have to tell me. I really don't remember."

Olivia pinched his chest lightly and giggled when he yelped. It was so easy with him, never awkward.

"You have a dirty mouth, for one.", Olivia explained matter-of-factly.

"It didn't seem like you minded my dirty mouth when it was eating away at your…"

"Okay, okay!", she squealed. "Stop!"

Fitz pulled her on top of him, reveling in her girlish laugh and the sparkle in her dark eyes. She kissed him, a sloppy joke of a kiss that made her laugh even harder, like it was the funniest thing she'd ever done. He shook his head, tickling Olivia's sides until her squirming became too much for him. Fitz stilled her movements but it was already too late, and he knew that she's felt him grow hard against her the second he caught a glimpse of the naughty look on her face.

"We're not having sex again.", Olivia grinned. "I'm hungry."

"Liv…", he whined. "Do you really want a perfectly good erection to go to waste?"

"I'll make use of it later."

"Is that so?", Fitz grinned, wiggling his eyebrows.

Olivia rolled her eyes playfully and slid off the couch, taking the blanket with her. She grabbed her clothes and skipped to the bathroom, laughing at Fitz's insistent complaints. He would have no choice but to get up now that he was blanket-less and cold. When she returned to the room, Fitz was sitting up on the couch, dressed except for the sweater that he was just pulling over his head.

"Wanna go out for dinner?", Olivia asked, pulling her hair into a ponytail in the process.

"I'd love to. I have a ten o'clock curfew, though."

"I'll have you back in time. What are you in the mood for?"

Fitz thought about it, and although he knew countless fancy restaurants that served good food, he couldn't help but crave greasy, delicious Chinese take-out that they could eat straight out of the container. When he filled her in on his wishes, Olivia grinned.

"How 'bout we pick it up from the Chinese place right by my apartment and go home to eat it on my couch?"

"I'll finally get to see where the great Olivia Pope lives?", Fitz teased.

"Don't expect too much."

Thirty minutes and a stop for ridiculous amounts of Chinese food later, Olivia was opening her door to her home for Fitz. The apartment was her refuge from the outside world. Only very few friends had seen the place since she had moved here after her break-up from Edison, and nearly all of them had been quick drop-byes of people that merely saw her living room area and maybe the kitchen. Olivia had never brought a man into her home, had never allowed anyone into the privacy of her bedroom. She had no family to speak of – at least none that she would have wanted to invite into her home.

Fitz wheeled himself into the room and while Olivia spread the food containers all over the coffee table and prepared their drinks, he let his eyes wander. The home looked like her – clean, organized, and beautiful – but he couldn't help but think that it didn't quite feel like the Olivia he'd gotten to know. The apartment wasn't cold, but it wasn't exactly cozy either. It was missing personal touches, but as he thought about it, Fitz realized that their homes were very much alike. While his office held pictures of his nieces and his family, his apartment was more of a place to shower, sleep, and occasionally eat. He wondered if it was the same for Olivia as he studied the immaculate living room, where not a pillow seemed out of place. The wild arrangement of noodles, fried rice, soups, chicken, and fortune cookies was the only proof that someone actually lived in the beautiful apartment.

They shared a noisy dinner. Olivia was animated, full of laughter that he liked to feed with cheesy jokes nobody else would have found funny. There was something about watching this gorgeous, tiny woman stuff her face with food like she hadn't eaten in days. She'd kicked off her shoes halfway through the meal and was feeding him some spicy chicken dish he'd never tried before. Fitz felt at home with her, like it was just another night-in in their life as a couple.

"Are we together?", Fitz blurted suddenly, and Olivia nearly choked on her mouthful of rice.

"Uhm… right now or…"

He sighed: "I know this makes me sound like a 15 year old girl, but I need to know."

"Fitz…"

It was Olivia's turn to sigh, and she placed her chopsticks down to focus on Fitz. He was looking at her with a mixture of nervous expectation and fear, so she grabbed his hands.

"I'm not really good at this."

"Don't break up with me before we even really got started, Liv."

"I'm not, Fitz!", she assured him. "I just want to be honest with you. I suck at relationships, I really do. I'm bad at sharing my feelings, and I haven't made room in my closet for anyone in years. I'm pushy sometimes, and I'm going to ask things of you that you don't want to be doing and I know that's really not fair but I won't be able to help myself. I'm a perfectionist but at the same time I'm so completely imperfect all the time."

"If you're trying to give me reasons to wheel myself out of here and never look back, it's not working.", Fitz interrupted her.

"I'm not. I just don't want you to have regrets later on."

"Didn't we already talk about this?", he sighed. "I'm not going to have regrets. I want you just the way you are so you can stop with this ridiculous list of wanna-be reasons."

People rarely told Olivia what to do and she should have felt annoyed, but instead a smile spread on her face.

"They're not 'wanna-be reasons', you know?", she said.

Fitz was raising an eyebrow at her, but he was smiling: "I really don't care."

He tucked her towards him and pecked her lips quickly.

"So I'm gonna ask you again: Are we together?"

"We're together.", Olivia confirmed, and as soon as the words left her mouth, she giggled. "We're together."

"Finish your food.", he mumbled playfully, the grin on his face so big that it made Olivia laugh even more.

"You're ridiculous, you know that?"

"You better get used to it. You're my girlfriend now."

She couldn't keep her eyes off of him as they finished eating. Olivia couldn't remember ever feeling so giddy and exhilarated, like she was floating. There was something completely silly about defining their relationship in such simple terms like 'girlfriend' and 'boyfriend', but it made her feel like a teenager in love, and for the time being, Olivia decided to bask in that feeling.

"There's something else I want to ask you.", Fitz said after they had finished their fortune cookies.

"You're full of questions today. Should I be worried?"

"Not more than you should have been about that last question.", he teased. "When I was in physical therapy today, my coach asked me if there is anyone among my family or friends that would be willing to come in a couple times a week. When I am released to go home, whether in a wheelchair or walking, there are going to be some things I won't be able to do right away. And if I continue to regain feeling and mobility in my legs, there are a couple of things a second person could do to help me at home, where I'm not surrounded by specialists 24/7."

He took a deep breath.

"I guess what I'm trying to ask you, is whether you'd be willing to be that person. I know you work a lot and in different shifts, but I have physical therapy in the mornings and afternoons, and they're pretty flexible about when you'd join us. If you want to, of course…"

"Fitz…", Olivia smiled, touched. "Of course I'll come help you. I want to learn these things."

"Really?"

He shouldn't have been surprised at her eagerness to help him, but it still meant the world to Fitz.

"So you're my new hot girlfriend _and_ my new hot therapy partner."

Olivia laughed, completely swept off her feet by his charm, and his wit, and by the smile that seemed to be reserved only for her.

"I feel like I've said this before, but you're ridiculous!"

She leaned in to kiss him again. He tasted of the fortune cookie he'd just eaten, and she couldn't help but think that it was a sign of all the good fortune that was going to come their way in the future. When they pulled apart, Fitz winked at her and Olivia knew then and there that she was in love.


	15. Chapter 14

_I am sorry that this update is a little late. I hope you enjoy it and leave me a review!_

~ Chapter 14 ~

Impatient fingers were tapping away at the desk and Abby was convinced her friend had no idea that she'd been moving her perfectly manicured nails insistently for quite a while now. Olivia was checking her watch again, like she had done in quickly shrinking intervals for the past hour or so. Usually, Olivia was the first one to arrive at work and the last one to leave. Often, she would take on extra shifts, and when Abby needed someone to take over last minute, she never asked anyone but Olivia. To most people, things hadn't really changed when it came to their hard working colleague. Olivia was always on time and did her job with passion and precision. But something was different, and when her friend's fingers started tapping faster, Abby decided to speak up.

"What's going on with you, Liv?"

Olivia's head snapped up, a look of surprise on her face like she hadn't even noticed Abby standing next to her the entire time.

"What do you mean? Everything's fine."

"You seem… distracted."

"Nope. I'm fine."

"Not just today.", Abby continued, unfazed. "You have been like this for weeks now."

"I really don't know what you're talking about.", Olivia tried again, inwardly cursing herself for apparently being all too easy to read.

"You can't seem to get out of here fast enough, and last week you wore the same thing two days in a row."

Olivia snorted: "And that's a crime?"

"A fashion crime maybe.", Abby grinned sassily. "But seriously, it's not like you. Something has changed."

Olivia shrugged her shoulders, but the small smile on her lips didn't escape Abby's watchful eyes.

"Spill!", she gasped, nudging Olivia.

"You can't tell anyone, Abby. You have to promise me."

"Have you ever known me to spill other people's secrets?"

She had a point, and Olivia knew it. Out of the few friends she had, Abby was the closest thing to a best friend. She had a no-nonsense attitude that Olivia appreciated, she was honest, and very loyal. With a sigh, Olivia looked at her colleague.

"Do you remember the young man who suffered a severe spinal cord injury after he crashed his car on the icy roads?"

"The college student?"

"No.", Olivia sighed. "Not that young."

"Ohhh the hot one?"

Olivia couldn't help but laugh.

"Yeah. That one."

"What about him?", Abby asked suspiciously.

When Olivia couldn't quite look at her, Abby gasped exaggeratedly.

"Olivia Pope! Are you doing what I think you're doing?"

"Abby, please. I don't want anyone to know."

"And I won't tell anyone anything, but you are still telling me what's going on between you and the hot patient."

"I'm kind of… seeing him.", Olivia mumbled, her eyes wandering around to make sure no one else was around to hear her confession.

"He's your patient!", Abby protested playfully, clearly enjoying the way Olivia blushed immediately.

"Not anymore.", Olivia corrected her. "And he wasn't when we started this whole… thing."

"But you met him here, after his accident, right?"

"I did, which is why I don't want to make a big deal out of it. I don't want people to talk, Abby."

Abby studied her friend. She could explain the change now, could make sense out of why Olivia had seemed so different lately. It wasn't a bad kind of different by any means, but it was certainly something Abby hadn't ever seen in Olivia before. She smiled knowingly.

"You're in love with this guy."

"I didn't say that."

"But you didn't _not_ say it either."

"Abby…", she sighed, even though she knew that her friend was right.

"Just tell me one thing. Liv. Is he good to you?"

Olivia smiled, because she knew that Abby would take care of Fitz if he ever mistreated her.

"He's very good to me."

"Good.", Abby smiled. "Is that why you are so eager to get out of here? To see him?"

"Yeah.", Olivia nodded. "He has physical therapy in the afternoon, and today is the first time I will join him as his partner."

"How is he doing? If I remember correctly, his injury was pretty awful."

"It was.", Olivia sighed. "It still is, but he's getting better and making great progress. We think he may walk again."

"That's good news then.", Abby replied, giving Olivia's hand a quick squeeze. "You know, I can go check Mrs. Moore's vitals if you wanna get out of here."

Olivia grinned and walked around the desk, more than ready to leave work in order to spend time with Fitz. She changed quickly, then took her car to meet up with Fitz and his physical therapist. When she entered the large, gym-like room, she noticed several other patients with their therapists before her eyes found Fitz. The deep frown on his face told her immediately that he wasn't in a good mood. Olivia watched for a moment as the young man patted Fitz's back and then started speaking, gesturing as if he was explaining something. She noticed that the cast on his arm was gone, and while that made her happy, she was distracted by his less-than-happy demeanor. The frown on Fitz's face seemed to intensify, so Olivia stepped closer until his eyes met hers.

"Hi.", she smiled.

Even though she was aware of the many eyes on them, Olivia leaned down and kissed Fitz quickly.

"Hi.", he replied, a tiny smile playing on his freshly kissed lips now that she was there.

He introduced Olivia to his physical therapist, who instructed her to get straight to work with them. It was challenging. Fitz was in a foul mood because he was not progressing as quickly as he would have liked to. The relatively strict regimen of physical therapy had left him sore and his inability to get out of the loathed wheelchair made him difficult to work with. Olivia was a good partner, because as a nurse, she already knew some of the little tricks and helpful hints that would support Fitz's mobility and her role in it. As she watched him struggle through an exercise, Olivia wished for the hundredth time that she could do more than just assist him. He looked like he was in pain, pushing himself – more for her benefit than for his own.

"I think you've did enough for today.", the therapist said.

"I can keep going, Michael.", Fitz protested.

"You probably could, but then you will be in pain tomorrow and we won't be able to get anything accomplished."

"It's not like we accomplish much now.", he grumbled angrily.

"Fitz!", Olivia interjected, embarrassed.

"It's fine, Olivia.", Michael smiled. "I've been doing this job for six years. He's not gonna shock me."

On their way back to Fitz's room, he stayed a few feet ahead of her, and Olivia almost contemplated going home so he could sulk on his own. But then she watched him flinch as he tried to open the door with his sore arm, and she knew she'd much rather put up with his bad mood than leave his side. Olivia watched him sulk around for a couple minutes before she spoke up.

"Wanna shower with me?"

Fitz perked up, but simply shrugged his shoulders in response.

"Okay. That's enough of that.", Olivia huffed. "Get naked and wheel your ass into the bathroom. We're taking a shower."

Shocked, Fitz watched her stalk into the bathroom where she undressed quietly. He realized then that his ex-wife or any of his former girlfriends would have left him long before he'd reached his room. Olivia was different, and despite his best efforts to be as grumpy as possible, she hadn't left him yet. So he swallowed his pride and joined her in the bathroom.

He undressed and transferred himself into his shower chair wordlessly, and when he was done Olivia was already naked and testing the temperature of the water. When she stepped under the head of the shower, Fitz watched in fascination as her black hair began to curl. She was beautiful, and he couldn't believe that he was lucky enough to see her like that.

"I'm sorry.", he said, and Olivia turned to face him, eyebrow raised.

"You should be.", she replied. "Now get in the shower."

He didn't dare argue with her. The warm water soothed him, and when Olivia began to gently massage shampoo into his hair, Fitz relaxed even further. He let her rinse the suds before he turned around to face her. The guilty look on his face almost made Olivia laugh, but she tried her best to keep the scowl on her face. She was trying to let him know that she wouldn't be putting up with his moods, but it was a difficult thing to do when he looked utterly perfect with his wet hair and his sad eyes.

"C'mon.", Olivia said quietly.

She shut off the water and they toweled off in silence. Glad in only their underwear, they returned to the bedroom. Fitz opted to get into bed right away, and Olivia agreed that they could have dinner there just that one time. She understood that he was tired and aching, and she didn't mind that they would be taking it easy for the rest of the evening. If she was being honest with herself, Olivia knew she would thoroughly enjoy a quiet night with Fitz, but before she could join him, she needed to get something off her chest. When she was sure that he was situated and comfortable in his bed, Olivia looked at him.

"We need to talk, Fitz."


	16. Chapter 15

_Thank you for your reviews. I don't always get a chance to respond to all of you, but please know that I truly appreciate every single review. This chapter is a little short, but it simply made sense to end it where I did. Enjoy and let me know what you think!_

~ Chapter 15 ~

With her hands on her hips and fire in her eyes, Olivia scared the hell out of him. She may have been short and petite, but as she looked down at him with a look of disapproval, Fitz couldn't help but gulp. She was a force, he already knew that much, but now her anger and annoyance was directed at him, and it wasn't something he ever wanted to deal with. To his surprise, Olivia joined him in bed. She sat across from him on the end of his bed, legs tucked under her and arms crossed defiantly.

"What is it that you need to talk about?", Fitz asked, not really looking forward to the answer he already knew.

She rolled her eyes: "Your attitude."

"Liv…"

"No. You're going to hear me out."

Fitz closed his mouth and avoided her gaze, deciding that it would be best to let her say what she needed to get off her chest.

"I can't even begin to imagine how difficult it must be to be in your situation, and I won't pretend that I always understand all that you are going through. What I do know is that you're facing struggles that would break a lesser person, and I'm proud of you for fighting.", Olivia said. "But I cannot and will not put up with you acting like an ass."

She sighed, and he felt guiltier than he could ever remember feeling. Her words scared him, and Fitz was immediately afraid that his actions would push her away.

"I've been there. I've dealt with that, and I won't do it again. I've been ignored and cast aside. My father did it to me and Edison did it all over again, and while that probably made me a stronger person in the end, I'm still not willing to live like that again."

"I'm sorry, Livvie.", Fitz whispered. "I really am."

"I know you are.", she replied, because no matter how mad she was at him, Olivia knew he regretted his behavior. "And I know that you are not doing it to hurt me, but the bottom line is that it _does_ hurt. I am fully aware that your circumstances are different and that there will be days when you simply feel angry or upset, and that's okay. But you're going to have to talk to me. Yell, cry, scream out your pain and frustration. I won't be offended, I won't run. Please just… just don't make me feel like you'd rather be without me."

Fitz scooted forward and grabbed her hands. She refused to look up at him at first, so he gave her time and simply drew invisible circles on her wrists with his thumbs. Finally, Olivia raised her head to meet his eyes. He looked about as defeated as she felt in that moment.

"I'm sorry for acting this way and I'm sorry for making you feel like I don't want you here with me. It's the last thing I'd ever want, because I can't imagine doing this without you, Liv."

He brought Olivia's hands up to his lips and kissed them softly.

"They took my cast off today, and I thought without that stupid thing everything would be easier, but instead my arm is sore and I still wasn't able to use it the way I wanted to.", Fitz explained. "And then there's this guy who always has therapy at the same time as me, and he's only been here for a few days, but guess what? He walked today. Just a couple steps and with help, but he walked. And it's probably because his injury was less severe, but I was watching him stand up, and then take a step and it just… hurt. I've never wanted to be another person as badly as I did in that moment. And then you walked in, and I was too wrapped up in my own anger to realize that I was treating you like shit. I'm truly sorry."

"Next time, talk to me, okay? Let me be there for you."

"I promise.", Fitz said, hoping that she'd believe him. "You're the reason I keep going no matter how much I struggle, I hope you know that, Liv."

She looked at him, and the sincerity of his words was reflected in his blue eyes. Olivia realized that she had never before been able to voice her opinion the way she could with Fitz, because she'd always had to fear rejection. He smiled at her then, the crooked, slightly hesitant way his lips lifted at the corners his way of trying to make peace once and for all. Her hands squeezed his and Olivia returned his smile with a careful one of her own, and Fitz knew that she had forgiven him. He looked so relieved then, so genuinely happy that she was reminded that this was a man who wouldn't ever hold her honesty against her. Olivia studied him, and everything she had been feeling suddenly bubbled up within her until she couldn't seem to hold back any longer.

"I love you."

Fitz stared at her open-mouthed, shocked by her admission. He had been feeling the same way for what seemed like forever, but never had he imagined that Olivia would voice her love for him so quickly after they had decided to give their relationship a chance. So Fitz had kept his mouth shut, although he'd found other ways to make sure she would feel his undeniable love for her.

"I love you, too.", he replied, breathless.

Olivia grinned widely, and then she flung herself at him, wrapping her arms around his neck tightly, squeezing him as hard as she could without hurting him. Fitz enveloped her in his embrace and buried his face in her hair. She kissed her favorite spot on his neck once and then she released him, perched on her knees in front of him. Her arms remained locked around him loosely, and Fitz used their close proximity to peck her lips.

"It's been a really long time since I've said those words to someone.", Olivia admitted, although she had a feeling that Fitz had already gathered that much based on the things she'd shared with him.

"I say them a lot.", Fitz said. "To Sophia and Hannah, sometimes to my sister. But never like this, you know?"

"I know what you mean. It's different when you say them to someone you're…"

"… in love with.", he finished for her when she trailed off, putting all of his feelings out for her to bask in.

Olivia smiled coyly, dropping her forehead to rest against his.

"I'm in love with you, too."

"So, we're in this together?"

"We're in this together.", Olivia confirmed.

She felt positively giddy now, floating on a high she had never experienced before. The words should have been so difficult to say, especially giving her past relationships with both her family and significant others, but against all odds they seemed to roll off her tongue like she was simply meant to share them with Fitz.

He smiled: "Anything else you want to get off your chest? Because I'm really enjoying this."

"That's all I got for right now.", she laughed.

"Is this the moment where the awesome 'I-just-admitted-that-I-love-you'-sex happens?", Fitz questioned cheekily, wiggling his eyebrows for added effect.

"No, this is where you order me my favorite salad from my favorite deli. Then we'll talk about getting naked."

He threw his head back and laughed, completely enamored by her silliness and the way her eyes sparkled brightly.

"One of us is going to have to put on some clothes to pick it up at the nurse's desk.", Fitz noted. "And as much as it pains me to ask you to cover that perfect body, you'll probably get there a lot faster than I would."

"Smooth.", Olivia giggled. "You call, I'll throw on some clothes."

"Great. I can't wait to eat grape tomatoes out of your bellybutton."

"You are not putting food into any of my body parts!", Olivia laughed, trying her hardest to appear stern.

"I could think of some things that you would really enjoy, though.", he teased. "Chocolate sauce, strawberries, ice cubes, cucumbers..."

"Stop!", she screeched, shoving him as she fell into a fit of giggles. "What is wrong with you? I've met twelve year olds less childish than you!"

"Childish? You won't think it's childish when I have you squirming under me as I lick chocolate sauce off your…"

"I'm leaving!", Olivia shrieked.

Fitz pulled her back down onto the bed, pinning her to the mattress. Olivia squirmed, wiggling her body to break free, but she was laughing too hard to really achieve anything. He attacked her upper body with kisses, nipping at her and blowing raspberries on every exposed part of her skin until she was completely breathless, begging him for mercy. When Fitz pinched her sides lightly, her legs kicked out without her mind's permission, and he grimaced as she kneed him in the thigh.

"That hurt!", he protested, but grinned at her anyway.

They smiled at each other knowingly, both fully aware that Fitz feeling her accidental kick meant that he was beginning to regain feeling in his thigh as well. He plopped down next to her and pushed the hair out of her face. Olivia snuggled into him, her breathing slowly returning to normal after the exertion of being tickled thoroughly. Silently, they celebrated another small victory on Fitz's long road to recovery and the immeasurable victory they had achieved in their relationship.


	17. Chapter 16

_Thanks for the reviews. I'm a little nervous about this chapter and I hope I got it right. Let me know what you think._

Chapter 16 ~

Improvements were slow but steady for Fitz over the course of the following two weeks. He continued his routine of both individual and joined physical therapy sessions with Olivia, and although frustration and anger were a constant companion, Fitz had managed to find a way to keep it in check, especially around Olivia. She'd taken him to her apartment for dinner twice, and Fitz had finally agreed to take her to his home as well. Not only was it the first time that she had the opportunity to see his personal living space, but it was also the first time since the accident that Fitz had returned to it. His apartment seemed different as soon as she joined him there, warmer somehow, but Fitz also realized that he wasn't very attached to his home. Thoughts of moving in with Olivia in her slightly larger, albeit less fancy home, had swirled in his mind ever since that day and he'd spent a lot of time imagining them living together there, or maybe in a new place altogether. He hadn't brought it up with Olivia, but he knew he would have to eventually when he would get to leave his temporary home at the rehabilitation center.

She was due to join him for another round of physical therapy in thirty minutes, but she had already called to inform him that work was busy and that she'd be running a little late. Fitz hadn't told her yet, but he was supposed to be taking a huge step in his recovery today, and if he was being completely honest with himself, he was kind of glad that Olivia would miss the first few minutes of what was bound to be a struggle.

He wheeled himself down to the gym slowly, equal parts excited and nervous about what could be happening within the next hour. Fitz was able to move his toes now, and every time one wiggled because _he_ had managed to make it wiggle, it gave him hope that his big breakthrough was just around the corner. His legs were often sore now, because his therapist used his overall good health and young age as an excuse to work him hard. Fitz didn't mind, because the soreness reminded him that his legs were still able to feel after all.

Michael was waiting for him at the double bars, and Fitz had to swallow before he had the courage to wheel himself over. He couldn't believe how two parallel pieces of wood mounted to some metal could look so terrifying.

"Hey Fitz!", the therapist greeted. "Where's Olivia?"

"Hey. She's running late but she'll be here soon. We can get started without her."

"We'll use the time until she gets here to get you warmed up. The strain on all of your muscles, but especially your leg muscles, is going to be high today.", Michael explained. "We need to make sure that you are sufficiently stretched so that we avoid any injury. We don't want this to be any harder than it already is."

Fitz nodded in agreement, absentmindedly picking at the wheels of his wheelchair.

"As we've discussed yesterday, you can't expect to be taking any steps today. It might happen, but it probably won't. Your legs haven't carried the weight of your body in weeks, which is hard enough, but you also need to remember that we can't be sure just how much of your injury has healed until you're literally standing on your own two feet."

"I know. I'm not expecting much, honestly.", Fitz admitted.

"If we can get you to stand upright, on your own two feet for about thirty seconds today, we've made a huge step towards you walking again."

"Okay."

The duo worked through the process of preparing Fitz slowly and methodically, and when Michael was satisfied, they moved on to fitting the leg braces. Fitz had worn them a few times now so he would get used to the feeling of the clunky, stiff material that was supposed to help him stand, and eventually walk. Today, however, would be the first time that he would actually truly use them. He almost wished Michael would get him up and standing before Olivia walked through the door, just in case their first try would end up being a failure. She walked in before he had finished the thought, and Fitz quickly forced a smile to hide his nervousness.

"Hi there.", Olivia smiled. "Fancy legwear."

Michael snorted at her comment and Fitz rolled his eyes.

"Hi.", he replied. "You smell like disinfectant and old people."

"Charming.", Olivia huffed, but leaned in to kiss him anyway.

She put her bag down and discarded her coat, before turning back to the two men.

"So, what's on the agenda today?"

"Fitz here…", Michael spoke up before Fitz could talk. "Fitz is going to stand up today."

"Really?", Olivia gasped, her eyes big as saucers.

"If I can…", Fitz mumbled.

"Oh you're standing.", Michael confirmed. "We're gonna make sure of it."

Olivia could feel her heart racing. It would be a huge success if Fitz would stand up successfully, but she knew that he would be incredibly disappointed if it didn't work out as planned.

"Here's how it's going to work.", Michael interrupted her thoughts. "I'm going to be in front of you, Fitz, helping you out of the chair and making sure you won't fall over. I'm going to call over Lisa, and she will be right behind you with the chair so you can sit down at any time."

He turned to Olivia.

"For today, you will take a more passive role, okay? We'll have you standing next to Fitz, and if things go well you'll be able to take Lisa's role and eventually mine in the weeks to come."

"Okay.", she nodded.

"You ready, Fitz?"

He nodded his head 'yes', but he was terrified of what the next few minutes would bring. Lisa, a young physical therapist that Fitz had seen around the facility frequently, joined them and smiled at Fitz encouragingly. She pushed his chair between the double bars, and Michael walked around to stand in front of Fitz. Olivia stood to his side, quietly observing the scene. Her hands were clammy and she felt sick to her stomach as she watched them prepare Fitz. Michael instructed him to scoot as close to the edge of the wheelchair as he could, then helped him to get his feet firmly on the ground. Fitz grabbed the bars, adjusting his hands until he was sure that he had a firm grasp.

"When you're ready, push yourself up slowly and make sure to find balance for your upper body on the way up. Your legs are going to feel extremely weak, and there's a good chance that it'll hurt, too. Try to fight through it, but if it's too much, sit back down, okay?"

"I'm ready.", Fitz responded.

Then, he took a deep breath and began to push himself up. It felt like he was climbing the highest mountain, but in reality Fitz had only put a couple inches between himself and the seat of the wheelchair before he plopped back down ungracefully. He sighed angrily.

"It's okay, Fitz.", Olivia encouraged him. "Try again."

He looked up at her, at the hopeful smile on her face. He saw her worry, her pain, and the unimaginable trust she had in him, so he put his hands back on the bars and pushed through the pain.

"You got this, Fitz!", Michael pushed him. "Come on!"

It hurt, and that was the only thing that registered in Fitz's mind. His legs were burning, and they felt so tight and stiff that he couldn't imagine ever getting them to cooperate with what he had planned in his mind. Pushing through the pain, Fitz slowly but surely straightened his body until it was awkwardly perched somewhere between sitting and standing. For a moment, he couldn't decide whether he should give up or fight on, but then he looked at Olivia.

Her hand was covering her mouth and tears had formed in her eyes. Without saying a word, she was imploring him once again to keep going, to be strong, to fight on. So despite the fact that his arms were beginning to shake, Fitz straightened them out with one final, painful surge of strength.

And then, before his mind had even cleared the fog of exertion and pain, Fitz was standing for the first time since his accident.

"That's it!" Michael cheered. "Take it easy now, Fitz. You're doing great!"

"Fitz…", Olivia cried, and he used the little bit of energy he had left to face her.

She was openly crying now, but her face was illuminated by a huge smile. Wrapping her hand around his on the bar, Olivia stood on her tiptoes to kiss Fitz. For the first time in their relationship, he had to lean down to kiss her. For the first time, he truly towered above her, and she loved every second of it. Olivia didn't care that a room full of people was watching them, or that Michael was close enough to watch the grin blossom on Fitz's lips. She pulled away when she noticed just how much Fitz's arms were shaking.

"You want to sit back down?", Michael asked, always aware of how Fitz's body responded to changes in the therapy regimen.

"I want to walk."

"Fitz…", Olivia warned. "Nobody expects you to run a marathon today."

"I want to walk.", he repeated.

"Alright.", Michael gave in. "Let's walk."

"Remember I am right behind you whenever you need to sit down, okay?", Lisa reminded him.

Fitz nodded his head, and tried to lift his foot enough to take a step.

"Try to shuffle your feet, Fitz.", Michael advised. "If you push your foot forward instead of lifting it, you're using fewer muscles. It should be easier for you to do that at this stage."

He edged his right foot towards the physical therapist slowly, inch by inch. After putting a small distance between his two feet, Fitz pulled the left one up until they were planted firmly next to each other again.

"You're doing it!", Olivia cheered. "Fitz, you're walking!"

Fitz laughed, the sound a strange mix of happiness, surprise, and pain. He shuffled his feet forward a little more, sweat soaking through the material of his white t-shirt, and by the time his body fell back into the chair exhaustedly, he had covered no more than a foot of space. But it didn't matter.

He'd walked.


	18. Chapter 17

_First, I apologize for posting this so late. I had a busy week and then I watched Scandal and that kind of messed with my Olitz inspiration. I started writing this and the more I wrote, the more angry I got with the failure that is any attempt at an Olake bed/sex scene, so this is what happened. What can I say..._

~ Chapter 17 ~

He was sound asleep when Olivia returned to his room after picking up dinner and grabbing her overnight bag from her car, a blissfully peaceful expression on his often tense face. She knew that what had happened today – the few but promising steps Fitz had taken after long, painful weeks of being wheelchair bound – had exhausted but thrilled him. When they had arrived in the privacy of his room, Fitz had pulled her into his lap, tucked his face into her neck, and without either of them saying a word, he had cried out of sheer relief.

Olivia smiled to herself as she watched him turn onto his side, mumbling incoherently in his sleep. Even in something as simple as sleeping, she could now see the changes that were happing for Fitz. He no longer slept on his back only, and he looked so much more relaxed when his eyes closed. His damp hair was sticking to his forehead, and the material of his t-shirt was straining around the muscles of his upper arms. Olivia almost decided against waking him, because it would have been so easy to just curl up against him and wait for the moment he'd pull her close. But she knew they both needed to eat, so she threw her coat over the back of a chair and sat on the edge of the bed.

"Fitz?", she called in a hushed voice, running her fingers through his disheveled hair. "Time to wake up."

"I wasn't sleeping.", Fitz mumbled.

"Of course not.", Olivia laughed.

She continued to push his curls out of his face as he struggled to open his eyes. When he finally did, Fitz smiled at her lazily. The cold air outside had left a soft pink blush on her cheeks, and the way her hair was styled in a simple ponytail revealed every gorgeous detail of her flawless face. Tiny goose bumps still lingered on her skin, and he leaned up to kiss them away. Olivia grinned when gentle kisses turned into soft nibbling along her collarbone, pushing Fitz away with a raised eyebrow.

"Food?", she questioned, although she knew his answer already.

"Sex.", Fitz stated matter-of-factly.

"You're such a charmer!"

They laughed together, and it thrilled Olivia that they could be intimate and silly and playful all at the same time, without ever feeling awkward. He slapped her butt when she jumped off the bed to lock the door, nearly tripping over the boots she'd just kicked off. Fitz whistled when she turned around, already undoing the buttons on her blouse, and what she would usually consider a cheesy attempt to flirt suddenly made her blush. Olivia dropped her top and raised an eyebrow.

"Lose the shorts, Grant. And the shirt too."

"Mh… aggressive and demanding. I like it."

Olivia joined him in bed and straddled his lap, the sheet and her thin panties the only thing separating them.

"You've never seen me aggressive."

"So you can be?", Fitz grinned. "You like it rough?"

Her hands found their place on his well-defined chest, and she dropped her gaze to avoid his eyes.

"Maybe. Sometimes."

"What is it that you like, Livvie?"

"Fitz…", she warned, but pressed her hips against his anyway, feeling him rise beneath her.

"Tell me.", Fitz encouraged her, his fingers digging into the flesh of her thighs, edging her on.

"Sometimes it just… it feels good when it's hard and… and intense and… you know…"

With every word, with every subtle push of her pelvis against his ever-growing member, Fitz's mind flashed with images of Olivia pinned underneath him, Olivia up against a wall, Olivia sprawled out on a table with her legs thrown over his shoulders, Olivia on her hands and knees begging him to go harder and faster and deeper. It was almost overwhelming to see these things in front of his mind's eye, only to look up at her in this very moment, flushed, her entire body tense.

"I know, baby.", he nearly growled. "I know exactly what you mean."

Fitz's hands wandered along her smooth skin and to her panties, and with a quick, powerful tuck the flimsy material gave out and ripped. Olivia gasped, but couldn't find the strength to protest his actions.

"Tell me more… about how you like it."

"You know how I like it.", Olivia whispered, lifting herself up just enough to remove the sheet between them so she could sit on his bare legs.

"But I don't know what you like when it's rough, Livvie, because I can't give you that. Not yet. Tell me how you like it; tell me, so when the time finally comes, I can take you just the way you want it."

She was wet, completely aroused be the sound of his voice and the words he was saying. Olivia had never before been intimate with a man that could talk about sex so openly, one that could make _her _talk about it. It wasn't awkward. It was exhilarating to voice her deepest desires, to share them with the only man she could ever imagine fulfilling them.

"I like it when you hold me really tight, when your fingers dig into my skin and I just know I will still feel you on me even hours later.", Olivia admitted.

Slowly, Olivia inched higher, until she was flush against his hard member, until she knew Fitz could feel her wetness on him.

"I like it when you bite my neck and push into me so deeply that it almost hurts. I love that moment…", she admitted and he moaned. "I love knowing that you touch me where no one else has ever reached."

Fitz tightened his grip on her hips and began to move her, back and forward along his rigid cock, until she threw her head back and moaned loudly. The feeling of her soft, wet womanhood sliding along every sensitive inch was enough to make him question his own sanity.

"Keep talking.", Fitz instructed, his teeth clenched as he watched her satisfy her needs with the help of his body.

"I can't wait until you can really walk again, Fitz. I can't wait until you have me up against the wall until I scream."

He lifted her up and brought her back down on his erection, penetrating her quickly and deeply, the way she'd told him she liked it. The moan that left her beautiful mouth was almost animalistic, a sound he'd never heard her make before. Olivia clenched around him, but he didn't give her time, instead grasping her ass tightly until every last inch of him was buried inside of her.

"Fitz!", she squealed, her nails clawing at his back.

"Keep talking.", he repeated, addicted to the sound of her breathy, raw voice.

Fitz sat up and Olivia tried to wrap her legs around him, but his large hands stopped her.

"No.", he growled. "Get on your knees."

Olivia complied, and as soon as her body shifted they both groaned, the delicious friction exactly what they needed. Fitz grabbed her ponytail, wrapping his hand around the silky hair. His grip was tight but not painful, and Olivia realized how much she loved giving herself to him like this. He tucked on her hair and her head fell back, exposing her neck. Fitz kissed the spot where her pulse was racing uncontrollably, and then he slowly nipped his way up to her ear. Biting the spot behind her ear, Fitz grinned wickedly when she hissed his name and dug her nails deeper into his skin.

"I can't hear you, Livvie."

"God, Fitz, please!"

Her hips had begun to rock back and forward rhythmically, and while it felt good, it was not nearly enough to quell the thirst she felt for him.

"Please what?", he teased, even though he could hardly fight the urge to give up their sexual power play and just give her what he already knew she wanted. "You'll have to tell me."

The grip on her hair loosened just enough to allow to Olivia to look into his dark eyes, but it was enough to make her realize he'd be the only man she'd ever even consider talking dirty with. She was going to, because Fitz had told her to, and because she knew she would enjoy every second of it.

"Please… just let me fuck you."

Hearing the words slip from her swollen lips was Fitz's undoing. He wrapped her ponytail around his hand and buried his finger in her hair, holding her in place so she would have no choice but to look him in the eyes. She stared at him, wide-eyed and so filled with lust and love for this man that she could barely breathe.

"I want to ride you until you forget your name."

"Try me, baby.", Fitz encouraged her teasingly, although he knew she would have no problem making him forget everything but the feeling of her body surrounding him.

Fitz could pinpoint the exact moment when the last little bit of hesitance left her. She braced her hands on his shoulders and began to take from him what she'd been craving for so long. There wasn't a moment where she hesitated, or moved slow, or gave either one of them time to catch their breaths. There was only deep trust in this man and in her firm belief that she could let herself go completely when she was in his arms.

So she rode him. Fast and hard and deep and every bit as good as she had imagined it would be. He refused to allow her even an inch of space between them, so all she could do was stare into his eyes and watch him get lost in the greatest pleasure either one of them had ever experienced. For a moment, the room was filled with only their moans and grunts, and the sound of skin slapping against skin, but then Olivia remembered how he'd told her to keep talking.

"This is how I like it, Fitz.", she breathed, the words almost too hard to form when she needed every breath just to keep up with him. "When… oh… when it hurts so goddamn good. Fitz…"

He stared at her, taking in every detail about the woman he loved. Her eyes were glassy and impossibly dark, wispy tendrils of hair were stuck to her sweaty forehead, and she had literally taken over his body as if it belonged to her. And it did, he knew that. Fitz would give Olivia whatever she asked for, and the fact that all she wanted in this moment was to love him thoroughly and in a way neither one of them was used to experiencing made his heart swell with pride.

"God…", he groaned, when she sped up even more.

Olivia was close, so close to reaching her climax, so close to taking him with her. She rode him harder, willing them both to come undone together. Sensing her urgency, Fitz trailed his hand along her thigh and between her legs, playing with her where they were joined.

"Oh God, Fitz!"

"You like that too, huh?", he growled, rubbing fast, powerful circles against her swollen clit.

She sank down on him and her orgasm crashed over her like a powerful wave. It took Olivia's breath away, and it took Fitz right with her. He cursed and bit her shoulder when he felt her clench around him, her whole body shaking almost violently in his arms. Fitz came hard, spilling himself into her over and over again until he had nothing to give.

The moments that followed were filled with the sound of slowly calming breaths and the quiet gliding of sheets against skin as Fitz tucked them both under the covers. Olivia didn't know what to say to him, suddenly acutely aware of the intensity of the sex they had just shared. It wasn't like it hadn't been intense before, because it always was with Fitz, but, still, this had been different.

"That was the hottest twenty minutes of my life.", Fitz mumbled, effectively breaking their silence and any awkwardness that may have followed.

Olivia giggled, embarrassed: "You make me… do these things."

Fitz tilted her head up so he could look at her.

"This one was _all_ you, Livvie."

The blush that seemed to fall over her whole body was equal parts endearing and arousing.

"I love you.", she whispered, because that was the only way she could explain why it was so easy to be so free and open with him.

"I love you, too."


	19. Chapter 18

_I am so happy that you all enjoyed the last chapter! This one was definitely a tough one to write, but it is important for the development of the story. Let me know what you think!_

~ Chapter 18 ~

"Fifteen steps today!", Fitz grinned when Olivia entered his room late one afternoon after a long week of nightshifts.

She had been tired and irritable up until she found him sitting on the couch, smiling brightly. He had a way of making her forget about her less-than-happy mood anyway, but when he was celebrating new successes, it always raised Olivia's spirits. Today, it was more difficult to cheer up enough manage a smile, but she tried anyway.

"You're going to be walking out of here in no time.", she smiled, kissing his lips to greet him.

He wanted to tell her right then, but her eyes were missing their usually glow and she looked incredibly exhausted, so Fitz pulled her down to join him on the couch.

"What's wrong?", he asked, tucking her hair behind her ear gently.

"I'm fine.", Olivia replied immediately, knowing he'd catch the lie.

"You're anything but. Tell me what's going on."

"I'm just tired.", she admitted. "It's been a rough couple of days at work, and I haven't been able to get a lot of sleep once I get home in the morning."

Fitz observed her for her while, and although he was sure that she was being sincere about how tired she was, he was also convinced that she wasn't telling him the while truth. She was shifting on the couch, constantly trying to find a way to sit, like she was uncomfortable no matter what she tried. Her hands were fidgeting , and she simply seemed different.

"What else is bothering you?", Fitz asked, grabbing one of her hands to stop it from picking at her pants.

"Nothing…"

"Liv."

"There was a little boy at work last night…", she began, and Fitz didn't have to ask to know that the story wouldn't have a happy ending. "They didn't watch him, just for a couple minutes, but it was enough. He ran out onto the lake, but the ice is way too thin now. He fell in."

She paused, collecting her thoughts. Fitz noticed how she seemed to be a million miles away, like she was back at the hospital with that little boy.

"They got him out, his dad and some guy that saw it happening and ran to help. His heart stopped twice on the way to the hospital and again in the ER, but they managed to bring him back every time. We usually don't take them up to the ICU when they're that young, but they had to until he could be transferred."

Stopping again, Olivia shrugged her shoulders.

"They should have kept an eye on him, you know. His parents, I mean. He was only eight. He crashed again a little after midnight. We couldn't save him. He was declared brain dead, and then they turned off the machines and his parents just stood there, like they couldn't believe it was happening. His mother just stared at him, like her heart had stopped too. And his dad, he just… he just sobbed."

"Livvie…I'm so sorry you had to experience that."

"I had to walk out. I know it was unprofessional, but I walked right out and locked myself in the restroom. And I think God just thought 'Let's kick her while she's down.', so obviously that's when I…"

"When you what?", Fitz asked.

She shook her head, defeated: "Forget I said that."

"Liv, I don't know what's really going on here, but you need to tell me, okay? You are definitely not okay, and I'm pretty sure – no matter how awful last night was – that little boy isn't the real reason why you've been close to tears since you walked in here today."

Olivia hated how well he could read her, at least in that moment. She'd had herself convinced that there was no way Fitz would catch on to the act she was trying so hard to put on.

"Please… let's just forget about it, okay?", she tried again.

He stayed quiet and simply rubbed her back in slow, soothing circles, knowing that eventually, the words would spill from her mouth. She just needed time to ready herself for whatever conversation they were about to have. Fitz couldn't help but worry.

"I got my period today.", Olivia said suddenly, after a long moment of silence.

It was, without a doubt, the most unexpected answer Fitz could have imagined. She said it so matter-of-factly that he couldn't figure out what to think, or why she would share that with him. Most of all, he couldn't decide if that simple fact was the reason for her sadness, or if it was a completely unrelated statement that he had yet to make sense of.

"Okay. Uhm…"

"Right there in that stupid bathroom, after the whole night had already been awful."

"Liv, I don't know how to help you. Why is… uhm… getting… your… you know…"

"My period.", she sniffled.

"Yeah.", Fitz acknowledge awkwardly. "Why is that a problem?"

When she looked up at him, Olivia realized how confused he must have been, how he couldn't possibly have any idea what she was talking about. She knew that there was no turning back now, that she had said too much already. Most of all, Olivia knew that Fitz deserved the truth about why she had been having such a bad day.

"I was late this month.", she said, and his eyes widened. "Almost two weeks late, which never happens to me. Sometimes I'm off – one way or another – by a day or two, but never more than that."

"Liv, are you saying…"

She shrugged her shoulders again and turned away from his intense gaze.

"The first week, I thought it was just stress. I mean, work's been busier than usual, and I spend a lot of time here too, so I figured all of the changes in my life had just thrown off my body a bit. But then the days kept piling on, and a couple of days ago I started feeling queasy and I just… I thought I might be pregnant."

Fitz was speechless. He wanted children; he wanted them with Olivia, but her admission had him utterly terrified. There were so many unknowns in his life right now – his health, his job, his future – and although there was no doubt in his mind that Olivia would one day be his wife and the mother of his children, he also knew that neither one of them was ready to start a family this soon. Her quiet voice interrupted his thoughts.

"I bought three tests, but I was scared so I've been pushing off actually taking them. I guess there's no need for that now.", she chuckled bitterly. "I am most definitely not pregnant."

Relief should have been all he felt, but Fitz's heart twisted painfully in his chest at her words.

"Or maybe I was and this wasn't just me starting my period, but a miscarriage. Seems like that's all my body is good for anyway."

"Olivia, no. Stop.", Fitz said, grabbing her shoulders and turning her until she had no choice but to face him. "You've said it yourself. Your body reacted to the stressful changes in your life, so you were late. That's all there is to it, and I don't want you to waste even a second thinking anything else."

"It's a good thing, really.", Olivia said, sounding like she didn't mean it at all. "We've barely been dating a few weeks. We don't need a baby."

He should have agreed with her, because that's the only thing that made sense. Somehow, though, the words simply wouldn't come to him.

"You wanted to be pregnant.", he concluded, and she sniffled miserably.

"No. Yes. Fitz, I don't know.", Olivia admitted. "I was terrified of taking those tests and having them come up positive. Literally sick-to-my-stomach-terrified. But then when I was sitting on that stupid bathroom floor crying over a kid I didn't even know, and I realized that I definitely wasn't pregnant, I just… it hit me that it would have been… I would have been so happy to have your baby."

"You will, Livvie.", Fitz promised, watching as the first tears spilled down her pale cheeks. "Someday, when we are ready for it, we're going to have lots of beautiful, amazing babies. You will have healthy and happy pregnancies, and I will be back on my feet making sure you're spoiled and full of popcorn and ice cream and whatever your heart desires."

The sound that she made was something between a strangled sob and a pained laugh. He mumbled her name and pulled her into a tight hug, crushing her much smaller body against his broad chest.

"For what it's worth, Liv, I would have been happy if you were pregnant. I _will_ be happy when it happens."

"And now…", she lamented miserably. ".. now I have these awful cramps, like Mother Nature wants to_ really_ make sure I feel like crap."

"Oh sweetheart…", Fitz smiled sadly.

His large hand traveled along the expanse of her flat stomach, and Olivia's instinct was to push it away. The gesture felt too intimate at this very moment, like his gentle touch would highlight what she felt was yet another failure on her body's part. But then the warmth of his touch seeped through the material of her sweater and into her skin, and it soothed her pain – both the physical and the emotional kind.

"I'm sorry, Fitz."

"For what?"

"I… I don't know.", Olivia admitted. "I'm sorry that you have to put up with me right now, and I'm sorry that I'm not pregnant, even though I know it's for the best, at least for now."

"You have absolutely no reason to apologize. You didn't do anything wrong.", he assured her. "Now, how can I make you feel better? What helps with your cramps?"

She covered the hand on her stomach with her own and squeezed it tightly.

"Just this.", Olivia whispered. "Just… you."


	20. Chapter 19

_Thank you so much for all of the reviews, favorites, and follows. I appreciate them all very much, even if I don't always get the chance to respond to everyone. Please let me know what you think of this chapter as well!_

~ Chapter 19 ~

"Tell me about those fifteen steps.", Olivia said after a long, comfortable silence that had followed her confession.

They'd both been lost in their own thoughts as Fitz's warm hand had slowly but surely soothed the painful cramps that were a constant reminder of what could have been but wouldn't be happening after all. After a while, his hand had slipped under the sweater she was wearing and the warmth it created on her skin and within her body was something Olivia couldn't even begin to describe with words. She felt the tiny, invisible circles his thumb was drawing around her bellybutton, but there was nothing arousing about his touch. There was only the offer of loving comfort – the kind Olivia had never allowed herself to receive from any other man before Fitz.

"It's not important, Liv. Don't even worry about it.", he spoke quietly, trying to reassure her that it was okay to focus on her needs only just this once.

"It _is_ important.", Olivia argued. "I want to hear about it. Please?"

He kissed her forehead, and she felt the tiny smile on his lips.

"I no longer need any help getting up. It's kind of difficult when I am sitting low, or on a soft surface like a couch or a bed, but I'm figuring out how to do that to. My legs don't shake as badly as they used to either, which makes a really big difference."

"You're getting stronger.", Olivia concluded.

It felt good to talk about Fitz and his progress. They did that a lot, because it was important to her to keep up with every change he was going through. Now, it felt especially good to talk about something positive, something other than the reason for the tears he'd wiped off her cheeks so patiently not long ago.

"Every day.", Fitz replied, proudly. "I walked for fifteen consecutive steps without stopping today, and they were probably incredibly slow, but I took them and it felt great."

"I'm so proud of you, Fitz.", she smiled genuinely, snuggling deeper into his embrace and kissing his jaw. "I know it may seem like all of this is progressing slowly, but I can see a difference in you every single day. Your determination is incredible."

"I had PT early today, and then I met with the doctor."

"Was it just a routine check-up or is something wrong?"

"Actually, he wanted to see me and speak about my progress."

Olivia raised an eyebrow expectantly, urging him to continue.

"He thinks I'm ready to go home."

"Fitz!", Olivia exclaimed, her head snapping up in surprise. "Why didn't you tell me earlier?"

He shrugged his shoulders, and she knew by the look on his face that she was the reason he had not mentioned it until now. Fitz had been too worried about her to even consider talking about himself.

Olivia sighed, feeling guilty: "Tell me what he said."

"Well, I am able to care for myself in every way that counts, and I have enough mobility to get around my home. He said that if I can guarantee everything that's important is accessible to me, there is no reason to stay here. I will obviously have to continue with PT, and there will be some things that I have to change around the apartment to make living there easier, but I think it would be possible. He suggested that I continue with daily PT with one day of rest each week, and Michael told me that I could split therapy so I would receive half of the sessions here and half with the help of a therapist that comes to my home."

"Wow.", Olivia mumbled when he'd finished. "Fitz, that's amazing news!"

"I'm excited.", he said, but she didn't quite believe him.

"What's wrong?"

"I really am excited.", Fitz confirmed. "But I guess I'm worried, too."

She silently encouraged him to keep going.

"For the most part, I know I will be fine at home, but there are some unknowns that I'm not sure I will be able to handle, at least not right away."

"Like what?"

"My bathroom is small, and I don't have a shower, only a tub. I know I can probably sit on the edge of the tub and lift my legs into it, but it's something I haven't had to do up until now, so I don't know how difficult it will be. I'm not even sure I will be able to maneuver the wheelchair in my bathroom, but maybe I can just walk the short distance between the door and everything else."

"That doesn't sound very safe, Fitz."

"There should be enough things in there for me to hold on to.", he shrugged. "Other than that, I don't think it will be a big issue. I mean, I'll need help moving some furniture to make everything a little more roomy for the wheelchair to fit, and I'm going to have to move every-day items into more accessible spots, but I was hoping you would be able to help me with that. Hopefully, I will walk soon so none of these changes and adjustments will have to be permanent."

Olivia studied him, and her heart sank. He was – she could see that now – terrified. As much as Fitz tried to mask his fears and insecurities, they were becoming more and more clear to her with every word he spoke. It made sense for him to be nervous, but that didn't make it any easier to see Fitz trying so hard to be strong and upbeat for her sake. When he would leave the rehabilitation facility, it would be the first time in months that he would have to live alone and manage every-day tasks by himself, without a nurse or a therapist just down the hall. Olivia tried to imagine herself being in his situation, but it was difficult for her to even begin to wrap her mind around all of the thoughts that must have been running through his mind all day. And then, on top of everything else, she'd added _her_ issue to make this day even more challenging.

"Move in with me.", she blurted suddenly, before her mind had a chance to catch up with her mouth.

"What?"

"Move in with me.", Olivia said again, more calmly this time. "Stay with me for a while, until you don't need the wheelchair anymore. It will be easier for you. It's a logical, practical decision."

Fitz's face fell, but he quickly corrected himself and smiled at her. The idea was, of course, a perfect solution to his problem. Just like Olivia had mentioned, it was the logical, practical step to take, and it would make the transition into living independently so much easier for him. He didn't want it to be, though. Fitz didn't want her decision to live with him be one that was made out of convenience. He didn't want to live with her only because he needed her help, or because she would have felt bad for not offering her apartment to him.

"You don't have to do that, Liv. You don't have to turn your life upside down just to make mine easier."

She'd regretted her words as soon as they had been spoken, because they didn't convey what she really wanted to say. Olivia didn't want Fitz to move in with her because it made sense for him and his recovery. Of course, that was a large part of the decision, but she had been thinking about this for weeks, and there was so much more to it than practicality. She wanted to come home to him after work, she wanted to find him sitting on her couch or cooking in her kitchen. She wanted him to say _'home'_ and mean _'with you'_.

"I want you to stay with me, Fitz."

"I know, but…"

"No. I mean… I _want_ you to.", Olivia said. "Not because you don't have any other options, but because I want you in my home. I want it to be your home too."

Part of her wanted to leave it at that. So much of her wanted him to know that her offer was permanent, that she wanted him to actually move in with her for good and not just for as long as it would take him to heal. But Olivia hadn't overcome all of her demons and deep down she was still waiting for something to go wrong, for Fitz to realize that she wasn't the one for him after all. Words tumbled out of her mouth, no matter how much she didn't want to say them.

"And when you feel the time is right we can… you know… you can go back home."

"Okay.", he agreed.

They smiled at each other, and even though neither one was fooled by the other, they chose not to acknowledge the fact that their smiles were strained. Olivia tucked her head back against his shoulder and Fitz resumed the soft caressing of her stomach. He should have felt exuberant to be moving in with her. It was, after all, exactly what he'd wanted: to live with the woman he loved. He had wanted to talk to her about it, wanted to make it happen for them. But as she sighed softly, deep in her own thoughts, Fitz couldn't help but notice how it didn't feel quite right. Most of all, he hated feeling like things didn't sit right with Olivia either.


	21. Chapter 20

_I'm sorry this has taken so long again. Life just gets in the way of writing sometimes. Let me know what you think, please. I love your reviews!_

~ Chapter 20 ~

Four days after Olivia had asked Fitz to move in with her, the couple arrived at her apartment after a detour to his home. With her help, Fitz had packed two suitcases filled with clothes and shoes as well as three boxes full of personal items, toiletries, and some of the things he needed to be able to do physical therapy at home. She'd brought home a set of crutches and a shower chair similar to the one he had been using at the rehabilitation facility two days ago to make sure everything was ready when he would arrive. With a box on Fitz's lap and one in Olivia's arms, they made their way into the apartment.

"Welcome home.", she smiled.

Fitz returned her smile, even though he felt nervous. Things had been good but slightly different between them for the last few days. It seemed like there was always an air of unease and nervousness around them now, and although it was barely even noticeable most days, he couldn't ignore its existence either.

"I thought we could take your suitcases into the bedroom and leave the boxes in here for now.", Olivia spoke, effectively interrupting Fitz's thoughts. "I made room in the closet and of course in the bathroom. Make yourself at home."

"Can I walk around naked?", he asked, his face deadly serious but his eyes twinkling.

"Learn how to walk again first, then we'll talk about doing it naked.", Olivia teased and they both laughed.

It was a little less awkward after that, and they spent the rest of the afternoon unpacking his things. When it was all said and done, Olivia looked around her bedroom. The visible changes were minimal, but they still altered her home significantly. His watch, tablet and reading glasses were sitting on the nightstand, and the sweater he'd taken off at some point had been thrown over the back of a chair. In her bathroom, things were a little more obvious. Her toothbrush had a companion now, and her beauty products had been pushed to one side to make room for some of his things on the other. It was strange, but not in a bad way. Back in the living room, Olivia had already made some minor adjustments so Fitz could easily maneuver his wheelchair around the room. She found him in the kitchen with his hands placed firmly on the kitchen counter, a look of determination on his face.

"What are you doing?", she asked, immediately suspicious.

"I'm going to make us dinner."

"Okay…"

Olivia watched as the grip he had on the counter seemed to tighten before his body lifted out of the chair slowly.

"Fitz!", Olivia yelled. "What do you think you're doing?"

"Making dinner.", he groaned, still struggling to pull himself up.

She was by his side in an instant, placing her hands on his shoulders, effectively pushing him back into his chair.

"Hey!", Fitz exclaimed. "What the hell?"

They stared at each other, both wide-eyed. They were equally surprised by each other's action, and after a moment of shocked silence, they both began to laugh.

"I'm sorry.", Olivia giggled.

"You pushed me.", Fitz laughed incredulously. "You pushed a cripple."

There was no anger in his voice, just surprised amusement. She didn't mean to laugh, but Olivia simply couldn't help herself. The way he was looking up at her like she'd grown a second head simply made it impossible for her to remain serious.

"I can't believe you tried to get up!", she laughed. "What were you thinking?"

"What do you think I've been doing all this physical therapy for?", Fitz teased. "I am _supposed_ to be getting up."

"But not in my kitchen! Well… you can get up in my kitchen, but not like that."

"Like what?", Fitz laughed when she giggled again.

"Like… like… all unprepared!"

"I was prepared."

"But I wasn't!"

"You're ridiculous, you know that?", he smiled, pulling her down to sit on his lap.

"I'm just trying to make sure you don't die on your first day home.", Olivia said, looking at him pointedly.

He kissed her lightly then, enjoying their first carefree, silly moment in days.

"I'm not going to die cooking dinner, Liv. I just wanted to see if I could stand long enough to prep what I can't do sitting down."

"And if you couldn't?"

"Then my ass would have been back in this chair, I guess."

Olivia sighed, placing her hand on his cheek. He hadn't shaved today and the light stubble tickled her fingertips. She loved him clean shaven, but she loved this too. Leaning in, she pecked his lips softly.

"I just worry.", she admitted. "If something were to happen to you here, I'd never forgive myself."

"Liv, nothing is going to happen and if it does it wouldn't be your fault.", Fitz tried to assure her. "As long as I am still working on recovering, there is always a possibility that I could trip or fall."

"I know. I just… I don't know what I'd do if you would hurt yourself."

"You have to stop thinking like that. There are going to be times when I'm alone here while you're at work, and while I will be careful – especially when nobody's around – you can't always worry that something is going to go horribly wrong."

"You're right.", Olivia sighed and he smiled at her. "Wanna try again?"

With a grin, Fitz pushed her off his lap and turned his wheelchair so it would face the kitchen counter again. He secured the brakes, and when he had a good hold on the counter, he pulled himself up. At first, his feet shuffled and he looked like he might tip over, but Olivia fought to control the urge to step in and help him. Fitz straightened his legs and after a moment, Olivia could see the tension leaving his arms – a sure sign that he was feeling more secure on his own two feet. He looked at her and she smiled encouragingly.

"I guess I should have grabbed everything I need before doing this, huh?", he shrugged.

"Maybe that would have made sense.", Olivia giggled. "Do you want me to get it for you?"

He looked around her kitchen, mentally calculating how many steps it would take to get to the refrigerator and back to his current spot close to the stove. He estimated that it couldn't have been more than eight steps to reach the fridge, eight steps back, and less than half a minute to take out the ingredients he would need to create a simple pasta sauce. It seemed doable. The kitchen counter connected to the side of the fridge so he would have something to hold on to all the way.

"I got it.", Fitz finally noted, a look of determination on his face.

Olivia's nerves came back with a vengeance, but she only nodded her head, hoping her smile would give Fitz the confidence he needed. The first couple of steps seemed easy enough. Olivia stayed close but never reached out to help him. Fitz made it to the fridge slowly but without issue. By the time he'd placed a couple tomatoes, an onion and a package of parmesan cheese on the counter, beats of sweat had formed on Fitz's forehead. His legs felt shaky and weak, but he refused to give up now. Slowly, much slower than on his way there, Fitz made his way back to where his wheelchair was still parked and waiting for him. He pushed the retrieved items with him until they were in a spot where he could reach them even as he sat in his chair.

"Almost there.", Olivia encouraged him as his steps turned into slowly shuffling feet that barely lifted off the floor.

He looked beyond exhausted at this point, but she'd been with him long enough to know that he wouldn't ask for help or give up until it became an undeniable necessity. Olivia watched him stop to catch his breath and she couldn't help but step closer when his knees buckled slightly.

"Almost.", Fitz agreed, breathless.

Three steps later Fitz plopped down into his wheelchair with a pained groan. His head dropped back and he stared at the ceiling, trying to catch his breath as he waited for the burning in his thighs to lessen. Olivia's concerned face came into his line of sight suddenly – big, beautiful eyes looking down at him.

"I did it.", he mumbled.

"You did.", Olivia confirmed, her smile just barely masking her obvious worry. "Now, what time can I expect dinner?"

Fitz chuckled and puckered his lips, wordlessly asking for a kiss. Olivia didn't think twice before taking his face into her hands and kissing him noisily, the upside-down kiss not nearly as glamourous as it looked in every cheesy movie she'd ever watched. They shared a laugh.

"Do you need something for the pain?", she asked, because she knew it could become an issue and his doctor had prescribed him something for that very reason.

"I think I will be okay.", Fitz decided. "I'm not really in a lot of pain right now; I just feel weak."

He didn't like taking medication unless it became absolutely necessary.

"Can I help you make dinner?"

He'd wanted to make their first homemade dinner together for her, but Fitz realized that they would be much quicker and more efficient if he would just let her help from here on out. It didn't mean that he couldn't contribute to the cooking process, but it would certainly help to have her supply the things that were difficult to reach.

"Alright.", Fitz agreed with a smile. "Do you want to start the water for the pasta and maybe get me a cutting board and a knife? I'll make you my famous sauce."

"It's famous?", she asked, clearly teasing.

"It is. It's all in the way you dice the tomatoes.", he explained, half-serious.

"You sound pretty sure of yourself for a guy that lives off of take-out."

"It's just not much fun to cook for yourself, you know."

She did, because she had been in the same situation for a long time now. Olivia smiled at him, and without another word they began working on dinner. The silence was anything but awkward, and when the delicious scent of Fitz's pasta sauce began to fill her kitchen, Olivia realized that her apartment felt a little bit more like a home.


	22. Chapter 21

_Wow! Over 500 reviews. You guys are amazing and I appreciate every single review very much. This is their first night at home together, so obviously this needed to be done..._

~ Chapter 21 ~

"You're good!", Olivia exclaimed, truly shocked at how delicious his food tasted.

The tomato sauce was a perfect mix of sweetness and spice, and she'd eaten more than she usually would. Fitz looked adorably proud of himself when she praised his talents in the kitchen. He had, of course, known that he was a decent cook, but it had been a while since he had prepared an actual meal and it had been even longer since he had cooked for a woman.

"I'm glad you enjoyed it.", he smiled. "Wanna clean up together and then put on a movie?"

"Nope.", Olivia shook her head. "You did most of the cooking, I'll do the cleaning."

"Are you sure?"

"I am.", she confirmed.

She knew he was tired from a long day of moving things and unpacking them, so she watched him wheel himself into the living room where he transferred his body from the wheelchair onto the couch easily, the move now something he had internalized. Turning, Olivia took the plates off the table and carried them into the kitchen. She sighed. Fitz was definitely a great cook, but he was also a messy one. Tomato sauce was staining her usually impeccable kitchen counter and he had used more utensils that she'd even known she owned. Olivia had to admit to herself that she didn't use her kitchen enough to make a mess, so she wasn't used to the mess she was facing now. It would be something she'd have to get used to now that Fitz was living in her home. Twenty minutes later, order was restored and Olivia went to find Fitz in the living room. The couch was empty and his chair was gone, so she searched for him in the bedroom.

To her surprise, Fitz was just wheeling himself out of the bathroom, a towel wrapped around his waist and his hair still wet. Olivia had assumed he'd need help when he used the unfamiliar bathroom for the first time, but apparently he had managed just fine. She smiled, immediately a little more at ease about how easily Fitz would be able to get around in his new home.

"I guess we put everything in the right place for you in there?", Olivia asked, pointing to the bathroom.

"It's perfect.", he grinned. "Thanks Liv."

"You're welcome.", she mumbled against his lips, pecking them softly. "I'm going to shower too and then we could watch that movie here in bed."

"Okay."

She showered quickly, and when Olivia emerged from the bathroom in her robe after a few minutes, Fitz was going through the long list of available movies.

"Drama, comedy, or horror?"

"Uhm… romantic comedy?"

"You're so predictable.", Fitz laughed. "Cheesy chick flick it is."

"They're not all cheesy!", Olivia complained. "Some are really romantic and beautiful."

Fitz had stopped listening to her when she'd placed one foot on her side of the bed to apply lotion to her already smooth leg. The robe slipped open in the progress, but she didn't seem to notice or care. He watched, mesmerized, as Olivia's small hands moved along her shapely legs methodically, rubbing coconut-scented lotion into her skin. She switched legs after a moment, and when the satin robe slid along her thighs and the curve of her hips, Fitz realized that she was naked underneath. He shut off the TV and placed the remote back on the nightstand, knowing they wouldn't be watching a movie for a while if he was going to have his way.

Olivia looked up when the sound of the TV suddenly stopped. The look on his face was one of indescribable longing – so intense that she knew right away what he was thinking. She closed the bottle of lotion and smiled at him sheepishly, suddenly acutely aware of the show she'd been putting on for him accidentally.

"Come here.", he requested, holding out a hand to her.

Joining him in bed wordlessly, Olivia could feel the first tingles of arousal. The towel was beginning to rise from between his legs, the fluffy, white material the only thing shielding his growing erection from her eyes. She'd never felt as powerful and powerless at the same time – something only Fitz was ever able to do to her. Molding her body against his side, Olivia sighed. With her hand splayed on his chest, she could feel his heartbeat increase steadily. They kissed, slowly and deeply, and every time his tongue touched hers, Olivia could feel herself clench tightly.

Fitz's hand began creeping under her robe, and when he still wasn't satisfied, he undid the belt and watched it fall open slowly, revealing her completely. Her nipples tightened when air hit them, and with a growl Fitz leaned down, closing his lips around one, then slowly kissing his way over to the next. Fueled by her moans, he sucked harder and was rewarded with the strangled sound Olivia made whenever he managed to send a new jolt of arousal straight to her core.

"I've never had sex in this bed.", Olivia admittedly breathlessly, her hands working to untuck the towel around his waist.

Although he had been almost sure that this might be the case, Fitz was incredibly thrilled by her admission. He'd be the first to sleep with her in this bed, and he'd make sure to be the only one.

"I haven't either.", he teased, earning a sweet giggle that only brightened her already shining eyes.

They kissed again, and when he pushed the robe off her shoulders so she could shrug it off completely, Olivia straddled him. Her lips left his in favor of his neck where she alternated between kissing his skin and nibbling on it softly. His goose bumps delighted her, but it was becoming more and more difficult to focus her efforts on his neck when his cock was throbbing insistently against her sex. So she slid down on the bed, kissing her way down his body like he often did to hers. Olivia could feel the exact moment when realization hit – when Fitz understood what she was about to do. The muscles in his stomach tightened and his eyes widened before they fell close.

"Livvie…"

She closed her lips around the tip of his erection and he groaned, the nearly animalistic sound enough to fuel her desire to please him even more. Her hair framed her face and his sex, but it wasn't long until he reached for it and pulled it back so he could watch. Painfully slowly, Olivia's mouth took more of him, engulfing his cock until it hit the back of her throat. She released him to catch her breath, only to go back for more. Fitz could barely keep his eyes open long enough to watch her suck on him before they fell shut – the sight and the sensation too much.

"Baby, you need to stop.", he begged, because he knew that if her tongue swirled around the tip of his cock one more time, he wouldn't be able to hold back.

She released him with a wicked smile, endlessly pleased with the fact that he could hardly contain his arousal for her. Their bodies were almost aligned again when Fitz stopped her, pushing her off and into the mattress.

"I want to be on top."

"Will you… will you be able to?", Olivia asked, silently praying that he would, because she wanted nothing more than his weight pressing her into the sheets.

"I want to be on top.", he repeated, a look of heated determination crossing his face.

Olivia laid back, touching every part of him that she could reach as he situated himself. It took a moment before Fitz found a position that was comfortable and manageable for him, but it didn't lessen their hunger for one another at all.

The tip of his cock nestled into her wet, warm sex, and Olivia reached down to help guide him into her completely. This time, it was her turn to close her eyes and moan, the sensation suddenly overwhelming. He was pushing into her, deeper and deeper until all of him was buried inside of her, his entire body covering her much smaller one.

"Oh Fitz…", she moaned, her eyes fluttering open to meet his.

There was a look of surprised wonder on his face, almost like he couldn't believe that this was finally happening – that they were doing this the way he'd dreamt of for weeks. Olivia managed a smile that quickly turned into another moan when he moved his hips. Together, they learned what his body was capable of and how he needed to position himself to create an angle that was pleasurable for both of them. It wasn't long until Fitz was thrusting into her rhythmically, his every move met by her.

"Liv.", he mumbled, and urgency to his voice that made her force her eyes open to look at him.

She could see that he was straining himself to hold up all of his weight, and that he didn't want to stop what they were doing.

"It's okay.", she whispered, wordlessly communicating with him, because she knew exactly what he needed.

Fitz dropped himself onto his lower arms, all of his weight suddenly on her. Her arms wrapped around him tightly so he wouldn't move away from her.

"Yes.", she moaned, letting him know that she didn't mind carrying his weight – that it felt oh-so-good to have him push her into the mattress until she couldn't decipher where she ended and he began.

His hips began to move again, the new position allowing him to thrust harder and deeper, and it was all it took. Sharp nails raked down his back and Olivia's legs wrapped themselves high around his waist. She was spurring him on, letting him take charge of her body and their love making.

"Harder.", Olivia groaned, and he obliged, using all of his strength to push his cock into her. "Harder, Fitz… please!"

They both knew there was only so long before he wouldn't be able to go any longer, but Olivia knew it would be long enough. She was close, her body begging for release. Her skin was sticking to his, and she realized that not an inch of her wasn't somehow touched by him. It was overwhelming and erotic and everything she'd wanted to share with him.

"Come on, baby.", she mewled against his ear. "I know you can… oh… I know you can go harder."

"God.", Fitz growled, biting her clavicle. "You drive me crazy."

He used the last little bit of his strength to push himself up until his arms were straightened out again, and then shoved his hard member into her roughly. Once, twice, and a third time. With a high-pitched scream, Olivia shattered underneath him, her orgasm triggering his own. He'd barely spilled himself into her before he collapsed again, his body falling into her waiting arms. Fitz was moaning deeply, tiny gasps leaving his lips as he tried to catch his breath.

"I've got you.", Olivia whispered as she kissed every inch of his face. "You're amazing."

"Liv…", he tried, but she stopped him.

"It was everything I could have ever dreamt of.", she assured him quietly, and his body seemed to slump into hers even more. "I've got you."


End file.
